ID :
166016
Sat, 03/05/2011 - 17:33
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https://www.oananews.org//node/166016
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Maehara expresses desire to remain as foreign minister
KITAKYUSHU, Japan, March 5 Kyodo - Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara expressed his desire Saturday to remain in his post despite a feeling among some even within the ruling Democratic Party of Japan that he may have to resign over his receipt of an illegal donation from a foreigner.
''It's important to fully perform my responsibility to explain myself,'' the former DPJ leader said at a news conference in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, which he was visiting to give a speech.
''Whatever conclusion I draw, there needs to be a process by which I report to Prime Minister Naoto Kan and face his judgment,'' he added.
Maehara has been under pressure to resign over the 50,000 yen donation from a South Korean resident in Kyoto whom he has known since his childhood, although he said he initially did not know about the donation.
At the news conference, the foreign minister said, ''Since I had not been aware that I received a donation from a foreigner, my foreign policy has never been influenced in any way'' by the donation.
He also said the election campaign branch led by former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of the Liberal Democratic Party had received a donation from a company linked with the pro-Pyongyang group Chongryon. ''At that time, why did the LDP come to the defense of Mr. Fukuda?''
''How does the opposition party reconcile this with it?'' Maehara said, in reference to the LDP's criticism of him.
Despite Maehara's eagerness to remain as foreign minister, some lawmakers have started making noises about his possible departure, party and government sources said.
''If you think about his personality, Mr. Maehara will resign of his own accord,'' a senior government member told reporters, while a DPJ lawmaker close to Maehara said the former party leader ''had better quit with grace.''
Kan plans to keep Maehara in the Cabinet post given the impact his resignation could have on the already embattled government, sources close to him say. But opposition parties are unlikely to give Kan much peace if he allows the foreign minister to continue in the job.
Earlier in the day, Kan met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama at his official residence adjacent to his office. He also met with Edano's predecessor, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku, at his office apparently to discuss how best to handle the latest scandal.
The Political Funds Control Law bans political donations from foreigners or foreign entities. Those in charge of political groups that have received illegal donations face imprisonment or a fine, and their right to vote and be elected will be suspended.
''We will have Mr. Maehara continue in his job,'' a source at the prime minister's office told reporters, while a government source indicated that Maehara will not have to step down on the grounds that the foreign minister says he did not know about the donation.
DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada threw his support behind Maehara, saying on a TV Tokyo program, ''While it (the donation) was illegal, I doubt that it is appropriate for a Cabinet minister to quit every time there is a clerical mistake.''
Former Prime Minister and DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama, who resigned from the nation's top post last June over money scandals, also weighed in on the matter on Saturday night.
''The illegality is clear...It depends on what the leadership decides after it examines the circumstances,'' he said.
Meanwhile, the main opposition LDP continued its attack on the DPJ and the government, with party Secretary General Nobuteru Ishihara saying the illegal donation is a crime.
''This is a serious crime that would suspend his right to be elected if he is found guilty of violating the Political Funds Control Law,'' Ishihara said during a lecture in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture.
Yosuke Takagi, acting secretary general of the smaller opposition New Komeito party, said on a TV program that Maehara should take his responsibility by stepping down.
According to political funds reports and other sources, the donor in question was a 72-year-old ethnic Korean woman affiliated with South Korea who runs a barbecue restaurant in the city of Kyoto.
Shoji Nishida, an LDP lawmaker, told a House of Councillors Budget Committee session on Friday that Maehara had received at least 200,000 yen from her over a four-year period.
Admitting that he had received 50,000 yen from the woman, Maehara later told a news conference that she was an old acquaintance and that he did not know about the donation.
''It's important to fully perform my responsibility to explain myself,'' the former DPJ leader said at a news conference in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, which he was visiting to give a speech.
''Whatever conclusion I draw, there needs to be a process by which I report to Prime Minister Naoto Kan and face his judgment,'' he added.
Maehara has been under pressure to resign over the 50,000 yen donation from a South Korean resident in Kyoto whom he has known since his childhood, although he said he initially did not know about the donation.
At the news conference, the foreign minister said, ''Since I had not been aware that I received a donation from a foreigner, my foreign policy has never been influenced in any way'' by the donation.
He also said the election campaign branch led by former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of the Liberal Democratic Party had received a donation from a company linked with the pro-Pyongyang group Chongryon. ''At that time, why did the LDP come to the defense of Mr. Fukuda?''
''How does the opposition party reconcile this with it?'' Maehara said, in reference to the LDP's criticism of him.
Despite Maehara's eagerness to remain as foreign minister, some lawmakers have started making noises about his possible departure, party and government sources said.
''If you think about his personality, Mr. Maehara will resign of his own accord,'' a senior government member told reporters, while a DPJ lawmaker close to Maehara said the former party leader ''had better quit with grace.''
Kan plans to keep Maehara in the Cabinet post given the impact his resignation could have on the already embattled government, sources close to him say. But opposition parties are unlikely to give Kan much peace if he allows the foreign minister to continue in the job.
Earlier in the day, Kan met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama at his official residence adjacent to his office. He also met with Edano's predecessor, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku, at his office apparently to discuss how best to handle the latest scandal.
The Political Funds Control Law bans political donations from foreigners or foreign entities. Those in charge of political groups that have received illegal donations face imprisonment or a fine, and their right to vote and be elected will be suspended.
''We will have Mr. Maehara continue in his job,'' a source at the prime minister's office told reporters, while a government source indicated that Maehara will not have to step down on the grounds that the foreign minister says he did not know about the donation.
DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada threw his support behind Maehara, saying on a TV Tokyo program, ''While it (the donation) was illegal, I doubt that it is appropriate for a Cabinet minister to quit every time there is a clerical mistake.''
Former Prime Minister and DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama, who resigned from the nation's top post last June over money scandals, also weighed in on the matter on Saturday night.
''The illegality is clear...It depends on what the leadership decides after it examines the circumstances,'' he said.
Meanwhile, the main opposition LDP continued its attack on the DPJ and the government, with party Secretary General Nobuteru Ishihara saying the illegal donation is a crime.
''This is a serious crime that would suspend his right to be elected if he is found guilty of violating the Political Funds Control Law,'' Ishihara said during a lecture in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture.
Yosuke Takagi, acting secretary general of the smaller opposition New Komeito party, said on a TV program that Maehara should take his responsibility by stepping down.
According to political funds reports and other sources, the donor in question was a 72-year-old ethnic Korean woman affiliated with South Korea who runs a barbecue restaurant in the city of Kyoto.
Shoji Nishida, an LDP lawmaker, told a House of Councillors Budget Committee session on Friday that Maehara had received at least 200,000 yen from her over a four-year period.
Admitting that he had received 50,000 yen from the woman, Maehara later told a news conference that she was an old acquaintance and that he did not know about the donation.
