JCP Kokuta says DPJ must come clean about former leader's alleged acceptance of illegal donations

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

JCP Kokuta says DPJ must come clean about former leader's alleged acceptance of illegal donations

A trial of the ex-president of Nishimatsu Construction Co. has revealed the fact that political action groups of Ozawa Ichiro, ex-leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, had demanded donations from construction firms in exchange for awarding them contracts for public works projects.

During the trial on June 19 in the Tokyo District Court, prosecutors pointed out that Ozawa's offices had wielded strong influence over public works projects in the northeastern prefectures of Iwate and Akita since the mid-1980's.

Construction companies, including Nishimatsu, reportedly made an enormous amount of donations to the Ozawa side in response to what they called the "voice of heaven."

Ozawa's political organizations drew up lists showing who was expected to pay how much. Based on this list, each construction contractor donated money without specifying corporate names at the direction of the Ozawa political organizations.

On this point, Ozawa's chief secretary Okubo Takanori, who has already been arrested, has admitted that he had known that the money was from Nishimastu using fictitious political action groups as conduits.

Between 1996 and 2003, Nishimatsu was actually awarded public works projects worth about 12.3 billion yen.

Asked for a comment on the trial, Japanese Communist Party Diet Policy Commission Chair Kokuta Keiji said to reporters, "Responsibility of not only Ozawa but also the DPJ itself is being called into question."

Considering that the DPJ sees this scandal as an individual matter of Ozawa and not a matter of the party itself, Kokuta said, "The DPJ keeps protecting Ozawa despite the need for the party to fulfill its responsibility as a political party. Don't neglect making in-party investigations and reporting on the outcome to the public!"

Kokuta also emphasized the need to find out the whole truth by calling people concerned to the Diet to give testimonies on the scandal.

- Akahata, June 20, 2009