Hatoyama grilled at Diet over funds scandals involving himself, Ozawa

TOKYO, Jan. 19 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama faced fierce grilling Tuesday by opposition
lawmakers over funds scandals involving him and his ruling Democratic Party of
Japan's No. 2, Ichiro Ozawa, during parliamentary deliberations in the first
ordinary session under his four-month-old government.
In a plenary session at the House of Representatives, Tadamori Oshima,
secretary general of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, demanded
that Ozawa appear at the Diet to provide an account on the funding scandal that
led to the arrests of three people close to him.
Oshima also said, ''The DPJ's ability to cleanse itself is being questioned,''
arguing that the governing party is responsible for clarifying matters.
But Hatoyama responded that the case concerning Ozawa, his party's secretary
general, is under investigation by prosecutors and the task of clarifying the
affair should be left in the hands of the investigative authorities.
He also reiterated that he would not intervene in the prosecutors'
investigations, saying, ''I have no intention'' of having Justice Minister
Keiko Chiba exercise her authority over the case.
The justice minister is the immediate superior of the head of the Supreme
Public Prosecutors Office and can order a halt to an investigation by the
prosecutors.
Hatoyama made the remarks in response to a question by Oshima, in which he
asked what exactly Hatoyama's recent remarks, which were widely construed as
recommending that Ozawa fight the prosecutors to clear his name, had meant.
On Saturday, Hatoyama, who leads the DPJ, said, ''The secretary general (Ozawa)
has told me that he has no intention of resigning, so I told him that I trust
him and please do battle (with the prosecutors).''
''I trust him as our party's secretary general, so it is the principle and the
natural stance as a peer to believe in his innocence if he claims that he is,''
Hatoyama told legislators Tuesday.
On his own political funds scandal, Hatoyama said he has already explained
everything he was aware of and paid gift taxes to authorities concerning the
money provided by his mother.
Tetsuo Saito, policy chief of the opposition New Komeito party, also criticized
Hatoyama, saying, ''Do you really think people will believe your claim that you
did not know that you had received such a huge amount of money from your
mother?''
In the ordinary Diet session, which convened Monday, Hatoyama retorted that the
prosecutors' investigations have already proven that he did not know.
Late last year, two of the premier's former secretaries were indicted without
arrest on a charge of falsifying fund reports by failing to declare the monthly
15 million yen Hatoyama received from his mother and instead logging the money
as donations from fictitious donors.
Hatoyama, who took office in September, also emphasized that he will continue
to devote himself to leading the country, saying that people chose his party
over the LDP in the August election even after the issue came to light.
''It is our mission to try to live up to their expectations,'' the 62-year-old
premier said.
On Tuesday evening, a source close to Ozawa said that Ozawa has notified the
prosecutors that he will accept their request for questioning over the funds
scandal involving a dubious land purchase in Tokyo by his funds management
body, and that the two sides began arranging a schedule.
Ozawa's funds management body, called Rikuzankai, bought a land lot in Tokyo in
October 2004 using an unreported 400 million yen, with the prosecutors
suspecting that illegal donations from construction companies, made in
connection with a dam project in Ozawa's electoral district in Iwate
Prefecture, might have partially funded the purchase.
Amid media reports earlier Tuesday that Ozawa is about to accept the request,
Yoshimasa Hayashi, acting chairman of the LDP's Policy Research Council, said,
''He might have changed his stance and decided to accept the questioning after
checking (the latest) opinion polls and figuring out that it could affect the
House of Councillors election (this summer).''
''It's dishonest of him,'' Hayashi added.
Seiji Maehara, a senior DPJ lawmaker and minister of land, infrastructure,
transport and tourism, welcomed Ozawa's reported decision to respond to
questioning.
''If he claims he is innocent, it is an extremely good thing for him to submit
to questioning to fulfill his responsibility,'' said Maehara, who is believed
to have distanced himself from Ozawa.
Hiroshi Nakai, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, told
reporters that the prosecutors also have a responsibility to explain the case.
Hatoyama told reporters in the evening, ''Since he believes he is innocent, I
find it desirable for him to explain it.'' The premier also said he hopes the
questioning will be realized ''as soon as possible.''
Although for the time being he will likely continue to be grilled in the Diet
over the funds scandals, Hatoyama said that he will do his best to ensure the
passage of budget-related bills to help the country weather the harsh economic
conditions.
==Kyodo