Opposition to step up pressure in Diet over Ozawa indictment

TOKYO, Oct. 5 Kyodo -
Opposition parties including the Liberal Democratic Party geared up Tuesday to
pressure the government of Prime Minister Naoto Kan over the imminent
indictment of ruling party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa in connection with a
political funds scandal, with the parties agreeing to summon Ozawa to testify
before the Diet.
Six opposition parties agreed to use the case of Ozawa, a House of
Representatives member, to grill the ruling Democratic Party of Japan on the
issue of politics and money, bearing in mind DPJ President and Prime Minister
Naoto Kan's vow to make Japanese politics cleaner and more transparent.
Noting that Ozawa is a ''key figure'' in the DPJ, Ichiro Aisawa, chairman of
the LDP Diet affairs committee, told reporters after the meeting of the
opposition bloc, ''If (he and the party) take this case seriously, there is no
reason for them to refuse his being summoned as a witness to testify to the
Diet.''
Of the seven opposition parties at the meeting, only one -- the Social
Democratic Party -- did not join the others in calling for Ozawa to testify in
parliament because it has yet to consult with party members.
Acting on the opposition bloc's demand for Ozawa to be summoned to the Diet,
Yoshio Hachiro, the DPJ's Diet affairs chief, said he ''takes seriously'' the
request and will ''discuss it with DPJ executives.''
While there is growing concern among DPJ lawmakers that forthcoming Diet
deliberations will be affected by an independent judicial panel's disclosure
Monday that it had decided Ozawa should be indicted over the scandal involving
his fund management body, the DPJ is largely taking a wait-and-see attitude on
how to deal with Ozawa.
Party executives met Tuesday to discuss how to treat Ozawa, known as a
powerbroker who played a vital role in the DPJ's ascent to power last year,
ahead of a three-day interpellation by various party representatives starting
Wednesday on Kan's policy speech last week.
DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada said during the meeting that the DPJ had
''no consensus'' about how to handle Ozawa and was seeking the views of those
in attendance.
The meeting wrapped up without agreement on whether to recommend that the
former DPJ No. 2 be expelled from the party, with some participants, including
Vice President Hajime Ishii, saying Ozawa should be left to decide his
political fate by himself.
While sharing Ishii's opinion, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara stressed in a
news conference the need to ''take seriously'' the indictment decision as it
reflects public dissatisfaction with Ozawa's explanation on the issue of
politics and money.
Ozawa's case also led Seishu Makino, an acting chief of the DPJ Diet Affairs
Committee, to resign Tuesday from his post after his remark Monday calling for
expelling Ozawa or recommending his departure from the DPJ caused a stir within
the party.
Following his resignation, Makino said in a news conference that he decided
that it was better to resign to show his remorse over his remark.
Other DPJ lawmakers refrained from making any comment about the political fate
of Ozawa, a former DPJ secretary general who ran against Kan in the recent
party presidential election.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said, ''If I say something in my
capacity, I may negatively affect the management of the Diet and our party.''
Koichiro Gemba, DPJ policy chief, indicated the need for the party to make a
decision on the issue.
Among ministers voicing concern about forthcoming Diet proceedings, Finance
Minister Yoshihiko Noda said there is little doubt that the decision ''will
have an impact on government administration and management of Diet affairs.''
Banri Kaieda, economic and fiscal policy minister who is close to Ozawa,
meanwhile, defended Ozawa, expressing hope that the allegations will be cleared
up in court.
As for whether to present a resolution calling for Ozawa's resignation, the
opposition parties will decide based on how the DPJ and Ozawa react to their
calls for him to testify at the Diet, according to opposition lawmakers.
The Diet, which opened its extraordinary session Friday, is set to debate
issues ranging from the Ozawa funds scandal to budget matters and the recent
row between Japan and China over Tokyo's handling of collisions between a
Chinese fishing boat and Japan Coast Guard vessels near the disputed Senkaku
Islands.
==Kyodo