ID :
101452
Thu, 01/21/2010 - 07:50
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/101452
The shortlink copeid
Hatoyama has no intention of pressuring prosecutors over Ozawa case+
TOKYO, Jan. 20 Kyodo - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama reiterated Wednesday that he has no intention of exerting pressure on prosecutors over their ongoing investigations into a scandal involving the fund management body of ruling party heavyweight Ichiro
Ozawa.
Hatoyama made the remarks in response to a question in the Diet from Hidehisa
Otsuji of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party regarding recent
comments by the prime minister that were interpreted as suggesting he had urged
Ozawa, secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, to do battle with
prosecutors.
''I have no intention of pressuring prosecutors and believe that they (his
remarks) have not affected (their investigations) at all,'' Hatoyama said at a
plenary session of the House of Councillors.
In the first ordinary Diet session under his four-month-old government,
Hatoyama also stressed that he has no intention of amending the Constitution
while he is prime minister, despite his comments before taking office in
September that suggested the Constitution should be revised.
''I, as prime minister, have a duty to respect and protect the Constitution,''
he said. ''Now is not the time for me to offer any comments on what I think (of
the Constitution) and it is not something I can think (of amending) during my
term.''
In reference to the fund scandal linked to Ozawa, Hatoyama said, ''Secretary
General Ozawa is one of those in the DPJ who achieved a change of government,
so when he said to me, as president of the party, that he is innocent and will
fight, I agreed that we should fight together toward reforming Japanese
politics.''
''Secretary General Ozawa's expression of his intention to fight is an
expression of his determination to prove his innocence and I accepted that
too,'' he added.
Following the arrest of three people close to him, including a DPJ House of
Representatives lawmaker, in connection with a shady land purchase in Tokyo,
Ozawa told a party meeting Saturday that he would remain in his post and
confront investigative authorities to clear his name.
Hatoyama, meanwhile, told reporters the same day that he had told Ozawa,
''Please do battle.''
Hatoyama said Wednesday that other DPJ members should also calm down and watch
the process of the investigation.
He made the comments as some DPJ lawmakers held a meeting Tuesday to discuss
the arrest of the lawmaker, Tomohiro Ishikawa, who was a former aide to Ozawa
and in charge of clerical work at his Rikuzankai funds management group.
Party members ''should watch how the probe goes in a calm manner, and I believe
they should refrain from acting so passionately and remain calm instead, and I
will ask them to do so,'' Hatoyama told reporters Wednesday evening.
On the stalled issue of where to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air
Station in Okinawa Prefecture, Hatoyama on Wednesday vowed again to come to a
conclusion by the end of May.
He stressed that the Japan-U.S. alliance must be maintained amid lingering
insecurity in the Asia-Pacific region and that Japan aims to deepen the
alliance as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the revision of the
bilateral security treaty.
''To do so, I will reach a conclusion on the Futemma relocation issue by the
end of May,'' he said.
During the upper house session, opposition lawmakers also criticized Hatoyama
over his own funds scandal, with Akira Matsu of the New Komeito party attacking
the prime minister over his claim to have been ignorant of the huge amount of
funds that his mother had provided for his political activities.
Even if Hatoyama was ignorant of the funds, uncovered by prosecutors, it could
have amounted to ''tax evasion,'' Matsu said.
Hatoyama said his handling of money matters may not be the same as most people
because he is from a wealthy family, but noted he has already paid gift tax on
the funds from his mother and has assumed his responsibility as a taxpayer.
Hatoyama said late last year that he had paid gift tax of around 600 million
yen on about 1.26 billion yen in funds received from his mother between 2002
and 2008.
==Kyodo
Ozawa.
Hatoyama made the remarks in response to a question in the Diet from Hidehisa
Otsuji of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party regarding recent
comments by the prime minister that were interpreted as suggesting he had urged
Ozawa, secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, to do battle with
prosecutors.
''I have no intention of pressuring prosecutors and believe that they (his
remarks) have not affected (their investigations) at all,'' Hatoyama said at a
plenary session of the House of Councillors.
In the first ordinary Diet session under his four-month-old government,
Hatoyama also stressed that he has no intention of amending the Constitution
while he is prime minister, despite his comments before taking office in
September that suggested the Constitution should be revised.
''I, as prime minister, have a duty to respect and protect the Constitution,''
he said. ''Now is not the time for me to offer any comments on what I think (of
the Constitution) and it is not something I can think (of amending) during my
term.''
In reference to the fund scandal linked to Ozawa, Hatoyama said, ''Secretary
General Ozawa is one of those in the DPJ who achieved a change of government,
so when he said to me, as president of the party, that he is innocent and will
fight, I agreed that we should fight together toward reforming Japanese
politics.''
''Secretary General Ozawa's expression of his intention to fight is an
expression of his determination to prove his innocence and I accepted that
too,'' he added.
Following the arrest of three people close to him, including a DPJ House of
Representatives lawmaker, in connection with a shady land purchase in Tokyo,
Ozawa told a party meeting Saturday that he would remain in his post and
confront investigative authorities to clear his name.
Hatoyama, meanwhile, told reporters the same day that he had told Ozawa,
''Please do battle.''
Hatoyama said Wednesday that other DPJ members should also calm down and watch
the process of the investigation.
He made the comments as some DPJ lawmakers held a meeting Tuesday to discuss
the arrest of the lawmaker, Tomohiro Ishikawa, who was a former aide to Ozawa
and in charge of clerical work at his Rikuzankai funds management group.
Party members ''should watch how the probe goes in a calm manner, and I believe
they should refrain from acting so passionately and remain calm instead, and I
will ask them to do so,'' Hatoyama told reporters Wednesday evening.
On the stalled issue of where to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air
Station in Okinawa Prefecture, Hatoyama on Wednesday vowed again to come to a
conclusion by the end of May.
He stressed that the Japan-U.S. alliance must be maintained amid lingering
insecurity in the Asia-Pacific region and that Japan aims to deepen the
alliance as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the revision of the
bilateral security treaty.
''To do so, I will reach a conclusion on the Futemma relocation issue by the
end of May,'' he said.
During the upper house session, opposition lawmakers also criticized Hatoyama
over his own funds scandal, with Akira Matsu of the New Komeito party attacking
the prime minister over his claim to have been ignorant of the huge amount of
funds that his mother had provided for his political activities.
Even if Hatoyama was ignorant of the funds, uncovered by prosecutors, it could
have amounted to ''tax evasion,'' Matsu said.
Hatoyama said his handling of money matters may not be the same as most people
because he is from a wealthy family, but noted he has already paid gift tax on
the funds from his mother and has assumed his responsibility as a taxpayer.
Hatoyama said late last year that he had paid gift tax of around 600 million
yen on about 1.26 billion yen in funds received from his mother between 2002
and 2008.
==Kyodo
