Suzuki Muneo's scandal must be thoroughly investigated -- Akahata editorial, June 18The Tokyo District Prosecutor's Office has sought an arrest warrant from the Tokyo District Court for Suzuki Muneo, a House of Representatives member. The cabinet requested the House of Representatives Speaker to approve the arrest.
The warrant for Suzuki was sought for allegedly taking 5 million yen in bribes from Yamarin, a lumber firm in Hokkaido. Yamarin at the time was facing an administrative disposition over illegal logging in national forests and asked Suzuki to use his influence to get the Forestry Agency to settle the matter in its favor.
Both parliamentary inquiry into the case and public anger against political corruption have forced the politician into a corner. What has been exposed so far is only the tip of the iceberg of Suzuki's extensive corruption. Suzuki abused government authority for his personal gain.
It's corruption of LDP politics
Suzuki Muneo's collusion with bureaucracy, illegitimate intervention in public works and foreign assistance projects funded with tax money, and distortion of government authority have come to light. However, the corruption involving Suzuki is precisely a small picture of the corruption of LDP politics.
For example, Suzuki used his influence as an LDP lawmaker on the Agricultural and Forestry Ministry and his authority as the deputy chief cabinet secretary to get the Forestry Agency to deal with a problem in favor of the firm involved.
Suzuki's argument that he received 5 million yen from the firm in political donation is not effective. To press a government agency to work in the interest of a corporation in return for political donations is nothing less than taking a bribe.
Regardless of the outcome of the prosecutor's charge with Suzuki's Yamarin-related bribe taking, his scandal is only the tip of the iceberg.
His secretary has been arrested in connection with Suzuki's alleged interference in the government's foreign assistance projects for the four Russian-held northern islands off Hokkaido, with the biggest scandal known as the "Muneo House" scandal.
In this dealing, Suzuki exercised enormous influence on the Foreign Ministry as his accomplice. He received money in donations from a company which could receive orders from one of the foreign assistance projects by unilaterally changing the criteria for bids. A related ministry official has also been arrested.
Suzuki's pursuit of vested interests shows how harmful it is for a parliamentarian to meddle in government agencies.
It also distorted Japan's foreign policy which has a direct bearing on Japan's national interest. For example, he had secret negotiations with Russia in conspiracy with senior Foreign Ministry officials, misrepresented the government's official policy on the return of the so-called four northern islands, and tried to settle the territorial question with the return of only the two islands of Habomai and Shikotan.
All the facts about Suzuki's corruption must be established and not limited to the alleged acceptance of bribery in connection with the forestry administration, for which the prosecutors are seeking an arrest warrant for Suzuki.
The great majority of people are demanding that Suzuki be summoned again to testify under oath before the Diet and that the Diet adopt a resolution calling for Suzuki's resignation. But the LDP and other ruling parties are opposed to this, openly defending Suzuki and keeping the extent of his scandals covered.
The LDP government has become so incompetent that it is unable to examine a scandal of corruption and graft in which a member is involved.
Every time Suzuki's scandal is further revealed, Prime Minister Koizumi states that it is no more than Suzuki's personal problem and shows no intention to investigate. When prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for Suzuki, the prime minister only said, "The Diet is expected to deal with it appropriately," as if it is something happening in some other country.
Prime Minister Koizumi has called for "reform," but everything has made it clear that this only represents the LDP's strategy to allow corrupt LDP politics to live longer.
Let's thwart ruling parties' obstructionism
Thorough investigations into scandals and corruption must be made to drive the Koizumi Cabinet and the ruling parties into a corner, using public demand to foil their obstructionism.
The Diet should not only approve Suzuki's arrest, but also carry out an investigation into Suzuki's scandals. It should use the right of investigation in relation to government, not leaving the matter to the investigation authorities alone.
It is important that the fact of the scandal be made public in order to end corrupt politics. (end)