DPJ leader Ozawa's top secretary arrested for getting illegal donations
TOKYO —
Prosecutors on Tuesday arrested the first state-funded secretary of Ichiro Ozawa, head of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan and a leading candidate for the next premier, on suspicion of receiving illegal corporate donations from scandal-tainted Nishimatsu Construction Co, in violation of the political funds control law, they said.
While arresting 47-year-old Takanori Okubo, also chief accountant of Ozawa’s political body, ‘‘Rikuzankai,’’ the special investigation department of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office raided its Tokyo office.
Over the allegation, the prosecutors also served a fresh arrest warrant on a former Nishimatsu president, Mikio Kunisawa, 70, who has been indicted on a separate charge, and arrested Akifumi Okazaki, 67, a former senior employee of Nishimatsu, they said.
Under the law, corporate donations, except for political parties or their political fund-managing organizations, are prohibited.
According to political fund reports for 2004-2006, Rikuzankai received 14 million yen in donations in total from two groups headed by a former Nishimatsu official, while a DPJ local branch, headed by Ozawa, received 10 million yen in total from them.
According to sources close to Nishimatsu Construction, the two groups, both disbanded in 2006, claimed that they donated the money from membership fees collected from the company employees, but the company actually incurred the membership fees by adding them up to the employees’ bonuses and instructed the groups how to donate the funds.
The two groups served as dummies for the corporate donations, the sources said.
Regarding the allegations, Ozawa told the DPJ’s executive meeting that he has appropriately handled the money.
Ozawa may assume the premiership if his party takes power through the next general election to be held by autumn at a time when the popularity of Prime Minister Taro Aso is declining.
Earlier this month, Kunisawa, together with another former executive, was indicted for allegedly telling subordinates to bring 70 million yen in slush fund money into Japan from overseas without reporting it to customs authorities, in violation of the foreign exchange and foreign trade law.
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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9 Comments
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hoserfella
the dirty underworld of Japanese politics at it again
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Triumvere
I'm starting to feel like the Diet is some sort of circus clown-car.
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some14some
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" LDP=DPJ=Any other political party in Japan.
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Gaijinocchio
Will the DPJ have Ozawa step down as party leader now?
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cracaphat
Maybe he snitched on the guy,so that he could quit for real.He doesn't wanna be the Premier.
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bobbafett
I always thought that the DPJ exists to make the LDP look good and to maintain the illusion of democracy. Anyway, doesn't matter who you vote in in Japan. Gonna get the same ol same ol situation. I loath and despise both parties. They have sunk Japan to line their pockets and will drown it for good in the coming years.
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ooAJSPoo
Just curious, from the story we have: arrested by "the special investigation department of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office..."
Since when does the Prosecutor DO such arrest and not some form of 'police'?
or is the "special investigation department" (with no CAPs in the story) the 'police body'? is there an Official Name for them?
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sensei258
Anyway, yadda yadda, public official, yadda yadda suspended sentence. Might as well just print the whole story now.
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herefornow
bobbafett -- agree completely. Politics here is disgusting. And, the depressing thing is that these guys are treated like celebrities or something, with flashs popping every time they walk in or out of a meeting, when all they are is public servants.
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