 Military contractors are big donors to LDPThe ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 2003 received more than 134 million yen (approximately 1.2 million US dollars) in donations from the 15 largest military contractors that manufacture tanks, warships, aircraft, and other military equipment of the Self-Defense Forces. The top 15, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., NEC Corp., and Toshiba Corp., were awarded 869 billion yen (about 8-billion US dollar) in contracts, which accounts for 68 percent of the Defense Agency's total procurement. Arms manufacturers are pressing the government and ruling parties hard for a further military buildup that will award them with more military contracts. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Chairman Nishioka Takashi in May attended a Washington meeting with Liberal Democratic Party members of the Diet who represent the special interests of the arms industry and called for joint Japan-U.S. development and production of equipment for the missile defense system. He also called for the present ban on arms exports to be lifted on the grounds that the ban, which is based on the constitutional principle of peace represented by the war-renouncing Article 9, is an obstacle to their business. (end) |