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Minister-wannabes in haste correct their political funds reports

 

   Akahata has learned that as of August 23, nine Dietmembers of the Liberal Democratic Party have hastily corrected political funds reports of their fund-management organizations apparently in view of the cabinet reshuffle that Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is planning to announce on August 27.

 

   This rush of correction itself revealed how dubious LDP Dietmembersf political funds reports are.

 

   Amid the strong public criticism of corruption of Abe Cabinet members shown in the recent House of Councilors election, LDP Secretary General Nakagawa Hidenao instructed LDP Dietmembers to check their political funds reports. He said, gIf anyone fails the test, that Dietmember should give up being appointed cabinet minister.h

 

   The nine LDP Dietmembers are former Defense Agency Director General Eto Seishiro, former Health, Labor, and Welfare Minister Kawasaki Jiro, former Environment Minister Suzuki Shunfichi, former Administrative Reform Minister Kaneko Kazuyoshi, former Finance Minister Tanigaki Sadakazu, former Vice-Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare Miyaji Kazuaki, LDP House of Councilors Secretary General Yamazaki Masaaki, House of Representatives member Suzuki Tsuneo, and House of Representatives member Tanigawa Yaichi. Most are reportedly candidates for ministerial posts.

 

   Five out of these nine LDP lawmakers changed items of expenses, from goffice expensesh to gutilitiesh or the other way around, from gorganizational activity expensesh to goffice expensesh or gequipments and supplies,h and from goffice expensesh to gpersonnel expenses.h

 

   Confusion over items of expenses rarely occurs, and such corrections indicate that they made false reports in violation of the Political Funds Control Law.

 

   While former Environment Minister Suzuki used his rent-free office in the Dietmembers Office Building as an office for his fund-management organization, he reported more than 30 million yen as goffice expenses.h After Nakagawa ordered the recheck, Suzuki reduced his 2005 goffice expensesh by more than 20 million yen to 7.5 million yen, and at the same time increased his 2005 gorganizational activity expensesh by 16 million yen. In addition, he reported that all these newly added gorganizational activity expensesh were less than 50,000 yen each, thus not requiring receipts.

 

   In the wake of the LDPfs historic defeat in the recent election, Nakagawa proposed that all political organizations attach receipts for all expenses. Many in the LDP, however, are raising objections against this proposal.

- Akahata, August 24, 2007

 




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