Ex-defense top Moriya summoned as a sworn witness

   New suspicions surfaced on October 29 during the testimony of former Vice Defense Minister Moriya Takemasa under oath at the House of Representatives anti-terrorism special committee meeting about his close ties with a former executive of a defense contractor.

   Asked by Japanese Communist Party representative Akamine Seiken if any politicians had been entertained by Miyazaki Motonobu, a former executive of the defense-related trading firm Yamada Corporation, the former top defense bureaucrat admitted that major figures, including ex-Defense Agency chiefs, had been present.

   Moriya said, “I remember some (politicians) were present.” He also admitted that these politicians included “director-generals of the Defense Agency at the time.”

   Pressed by Akamine to give their names, Moriya said, “If I cite specific names here, it will cause a lot of problems for them.”

   Akamine also questioned Moriya about the government’s failure to specify the real amount of oil that a Maritime Self-Defense Force provided to a U.S. supply ship in the Indian Ocean in February 2003. The government had long said that the amount was 200,000 gallons even after it learned in May 2003 that the actual amount was 800,000 gallons.

   Moriya answered that when a discrepancy in the amount had surfaced, he had requested a U.S. Embassy Minister to Japan to “clearly explain on behalf of the U.S. government that there had been no problems that could raise suspicions that could amount to violating the law.”

   In its reply to the Japanese Defense Ministry, the U.S. government said that no provided fuel had been used for purposes other than stipulated by the law. So, both the U.S. and Japanese governments may have agreed in advance to pretend that there was no cover-up of data.

   However, Moriya kept saying, “I don’t remember,” or “I don’t know” in answer to questions by Akamine.

   “You are not here to just state that you don’t remember,” Akamine said.

   In answer to ruling party representatives, Moriya admitted that he had played golf more than 200 times with Miyazaki over an 11-year period.
- Akahata, October 30, 2007