LDP gets 1.2 billion yen donation from Isahaya Bay drain corporations

The Liberal Democratic Party received a donation of 1.2 billion yen (9 million dollars) from 1985 to 2000 from corporations contracted with the Isahaya Bay (Nagasaki Pref.) drainage project costing 255 billion yen (2 billion dollars).

This was revealed by Japanese Communist Party House of Representatives member Ozawa Kazuaki at a news conference at the Nagasaki Prefectural Office on May 13. The revelation, based on a JCP field study, shows part of the background why the public project which is wasteful and destructive to the environment is still carried on.

Donations go via three channels: LDP Kumamoto and Nagasaki prefectural federations, LDP Dietmembers connected with Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, and individual LDP Dietmembers. Eleven LDP Dietmembers got donations of 214 million yen (1.6 million dollars).

Ozawa said that the Sea of Ariake is now dying and the fish catch declined by 5,000 tons a year to 17,000 tons in 2001. He went on to say that the wasteful and environment-destructive project is pursued to serve the interests of collusion between political, bureaucratic, and business circles. He said that LDP Dietmembers used their influence to get the project going and in return got donations from businesses which were paid using tax money.

Ozawa stated that unless such collusion prevailing nationwide is ended, there would be no politics in people's interests. (end)