Japan Press Weekly

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2008 July 23 - 29 [POLITICS]

War industry fixer opened bank account in U.S. to boost ‘strategic’ Japan-U.S. security ties

Documents show that Akiyama Naoki, a full-time executive of the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange, who was arrested on suspicion of tax evasion, had concealed his income in bank accounts including one opened by a U.S. non-profit corporation established with the aim of assisting the Japan-U.S. Security Strategy Conference, the liaison between the Japanese and U.S. arms industries and the Japanese politicians advocating arms buildup.

The Washington-based NPO is the Council for National Security (CNS). It was established in 2003 for the purpose of supporting the Japan-U.S. Security Strategy Conference, which was founded in the same year.

In an internal document of February 21, 2003, requesting its members to become members of the board of directors, the Parliamentarian Council for National Security stated, “The Council for National Security will be established in Washington, D.C. for the purpose of assisting in running the Council for National Security.”

The Japan-U.S. Security Strategy Conference has been jointly sponsored by the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange and the Parliamentarian Council for National Security (chaired by Kawara Tsutomu, former Defense Agency director general). Akiyama serves the parliamentarian council as the secretary general.

The Parliamentarian Council, chiefly made up of lawmakers who are advocates of arms buildup, includes Kyuma Fumio (former Defense Agency chief), Nukaga Fukushiro (former Defense Agency chief and current Finance Minister) from the Liberal Democratic Party; Maehara Seiji, deputy representative of the Democratic Party; and Sato Shigeki, secretary general of the research council on foreign and security affairs of the Komei Party. Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo is a former member of this council.

With the arrest of Akiyama on suspicion of tax evasion using a Council for National Security (CNS) account, investigations should focus on lawmakers who could have been involved in this scandal as members of the CNS board of directors. - Akahata, July 26, 2008