JCP demands that an SDP lawmaker quit

Amidst growing criticism of the Social Democratic Party's Tsujimoto Kiyomi over her alleged illegal use of tax money, the Japanese Communist Party on March 25 called on her to resign from the Diet.

Tsujimoto, SDP policy board head, hired a secretary who had been working as a full-time secretary for another Dietmember for 20 months since 1997. Policy-making secretaries receive between 8 and 12 million yen (about 60,000 and 90,000 dollars) in yearly salary from taxpayers' money, but Tsujimoto had paid only 50,000 yen (about 370 dollars) a month to the secretary, and used the rest of the salary to pay other aides and part-timers in her office.

It was also discovered that the SDP parliamentarian had failed to report that the rest of the secretary's salary was donated to her political body, a clear violation of the Law to Regulate Money Used for Political Activities.

SDP Leader Doi Takako on March 26 said that her party considers that Tsujimoto's resignation from the Diet is necessary.

JCP Policy Commission Chair Kokuta Keiji commented, "Registration of a bogus secretary is like fabricating a name. Tsujimoto herself admits that she has violated the law. She has committed a serious mistake."

Akahata on March 26 warned against the LDP and other ruling parties trying to take advantage of the opponent in deep trouble. To take responsibility as one of the opposition parties, Tsujimoto and the SDP must resolve the problem before the people, who want to change the corrupt Liberal Democratic Party politics, Akahata said. (end)