ID :
100608
Sun, 01/17/2010 - 03:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/100608
The shortlink copeid
Ozawa says he will stay on despite scandal, raps prosecutors
TOKYO, Jan. 16 Kyodo -
Ichiro Ozawa, secretary general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, said
Saturday he will remain in the post despite the arrests of two former aides and
one current secretary in connection with a shady land purchase, while directing
his anger at investigative authorities.
Ozawa, the 67-year-old political kingpin who is believed to have been the
architect behind the party's landslide victory in the House of Representatives
election last August, also indicated his renewed determination to lead it to
another victory in the House of Councillors race set to take place this summer.
''I have no intention of resigning from the post of secretary general by being
put through such things,'' he told reporters after attending the party's annual
convention held in Tokyo.
Speaking to the participants at the gathering earlier, he also reiterated that
no dubious money was involved in the land purchase in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward as
prosecutors suspect and that he has fully explained this to them.
''I don't know if they did it intentionally, but the arrests took place in step
with our party's convention, and I cannot by any means accept such a way (of
investigation),'' he said. ''If this way is accepted, it would cast a shadow
over the nation's democracy.''
Ozawa argued that politicians are normally exempt from serious legal
consequences if their mistakes in documenting political funds simply involve
formalities.
''I will continue to perform my given tasks with all my efforts and fully
confront such a use of power,'' he said.
Ozawa, a former member of the Liberal Democratic Party, which had ruled Japan
almost without break for over half a century until the DPJ swept into power in
August, is a protege of late political kingmakers such as Shin Kanemaru and
Kakuei Tanaka, who were both mired in corruption scandals and faced off with
prosecutors.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told reporters, ''The
secretary general has told me that he has no intention of resigning, so I told
him that I trust him and would like him to continue to stay on.''
Hatoyama, 62, who also doubles as DPJ president, held talks with Ozawa at the
prime minister's office Saturday morning.
But he also said, ''It is extremely regrettable that the case has caused
inconvenience to people,'' referring to Friday's arrest of Tomohiro Ishikawa, a
DPJ lawmaker in connection with the land purchase in Tokyo by Ozawa's fund
management body involving an unregistered 400 million yen.
Ishikawa formerly worked as a secretary for Ozawa and was involved in the fund
management body Rikuzankai.
At the DPJ's annual convention, Ozawa also indicated that he may have Acting
Secretary General Azuma Koshiishi take over part of his job on an increasing
number of occasions in the months to come, suggesting that he wants to devote
more time to his fight with the authorities to clear his name.
Hatoyama reiterated his hopes that Ozawa would prove his innocence and do his
best to perform his duty as secretary general, while urging the party members
to help run the government for the next four years on a united front.
The convention, the first since the party took power, adopted a set of policies
for 2010 including a target to secure a majority in the upcoming election so
that the party can smoothly enact laws to implement what it promised to the
public during campaigning for last year's lower house election.
The DPJ has yet to secure an overall majority in the upper chamber and needs
cooperation from the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party, the
two minor parties that constitute a tripartite coalition government along with
the DPJ.
In addition to Ishikawa, Mitsutomo Ikeda, who also worked for Ozawa as a
secretary, and Takanori Okubo, an incumbent secretary of Ozawa, were arrested
in connection with the case over two days from Friday night.
The arrests of the three people close to Ozawa are expected to deliver a heavy
blow to the government of Hatoyama, who has been under fire over a funding
scandal of his own, and eat into voter support for the Cabinet.
The opposition camp is set to step up its attack against both Hatoyama and
Ozawa in a parliamentary session slated to convene Monday.
At the convention, Hatoyama also offered a renewed apology to the public over
his own funding scandal.
==Kyodo
Ichiro Ozawa, secretary general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, said
Saturday he will remain in the post despite the arrests of two former aides and
one current secretary in connection with a shady land purchase, while directing
his anger at investigative authorities.
Ozawa, the 67-year-old political kingpin who is believed to have been the
architect behind the party's landslide victory in the House of Representatives
election last August, also indicated his renewed determination to lead it to
another victory in the House of Councillors race set to take place this summer.
''I have no intention of resigning from the post of secretary general by being
put through such things,'' he told reporters after attending the party's annual
convention held in Tokyo.
Speaking to the participants at the gathering earlier, he also reiterated that
no dubious money was involved in the land purchase in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward as
prosecutors suspect and that he has fully explained this to them.
''I don't know if they did it intentionally, but the arrests took place in step
with our party's convention, and I cannot by any means accept such a way (of
investigation),'' he said. ''If this way is accepted, it would cast a shadow
over the nation's democracy.''
Ozawa argued that politicians are normally exempt from serious legal
consequences if their mistakes in documenting political funds simply involve
formalities.
''I will continue to perform my given tasks with all my efforts and fully
confront such a use of power,'' he said.
Ozawa, a former member of the Liberal Democratic Party, which had ruled Japan
almost without break for over half a century until the DPJ swept into power in
August, is a protege of late political kingmakers such as Shin Kanemaru and
Kakuei Tanaka, who were both mired in corruption scandals and faced off with
prosecutors.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told reporters, ''The
secretary general has told me that he has no intention of resigning, so I told
him that I trust him and would like him to continue to stay on.''
Hatoyama, 62, who also doubles as DPJ president, held talks with Ozawa at the
prime minister's office Saturday morning.
But he also said, ''It is extremely regrettable that the case has caused
inconvenience to people,'' referring to Friday's arrest of Tomohiro Ishikawa, a
DPJ lawmaker in connection with the land purchase in Tokyo by Ozawa's fund
management body involving an unregistered 400 million yen.
Ishikawa formerly worked as a secretary for Ozawa and was involved in the fund
management body Rikuzankai.
At the DPJ's annual convention, Ozawa also indicated that he may have Acting
Secretary General Azuma Koshiishi take over part of his job on an increasing
number of occasions in the months to come, suggesting that he wants to devote
more time to his fight with the authorities to clear his name.
Hatoyama reiterated his hopes that Ozawa would prove his innocence and do his
best to perform his duty as secretary general, while urging the party members
to help run the government for the next four years on a united front.
The convention, the first since the party took power, adopted a set of policies
for 2010 including a target to secure a majority in the upcoming election so
that the party can smoothly enact laws to implement what it promised to the
public during campaigning for last year's lower house election.
The DPJ has yet to secure an overall majority in the upper chamber and needs
cooperation from the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party, the
two minor parties that constitute a tripartite coalition government along with
the DPJ.
In addition to Ishikawa, Mitsutomo Ikeda, who also worked for Ozawa as a
secretary, and Takanori Okubo, an incumbent secretary of Ozawa, were arrested
in connection with the case over two days from Friday night.
The arrests of the three people close to Ozawa are expected to deliver a heavy
blow to the government of Hatoyama, who has been under fire over a funding
scandal of his own, and eat into voter support for the Cabinet.
The opposition camp is set to step up its attack against both Hatoyama and
Ozawa in a parliamentary session slated to convene Monday.
At the convention, Hatoyama also offered a renewed apology to the public over
his own funding scandal.
==Kyodo
