Japan Press Weekly

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2007 November 14 - 20 TOP3 [SDF]

JCP Shii calls for cozy relations between politicians, military, and business sector to be fully investigated

In a comment on November 15 on former Vice Defense Minister Moriya Takemasa’s testimony as a sworn witness in the Diet, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on the same day stated that two major facts were revealed.

One is that Moriya revealed the names of politicians who were entertained with him at restaurants by Miyazaki Motonobu, a former executive of defense contractor Yamada Corporation, who has been arrested for embezzlement.

Shii said, “It is necessary for the Diet to order the two former Defense Agency chiefs, Nukaga Fukushiro and Kyuma Fumio, to appear as witnesses under oath.”

The other point is that in answer to JCP representative Inoue Satoshi’s question, Moriya disclosed that at a dinner he had been joined by Akiyama Naoaki, the secretary general of the organization hosting the Japan-U.S. Security Strategy Conference.

Shii said that this “Strategy Conference” is an assembly of the arms industry and lawmakers advocating arms buildup from both Japan and the U.S. “The parliamentary hearings of testimony by sworn witnesses have not only brought to light cozy relations between politicians, the military, and the business sector, but also raised questions about the U.S. arms industry’s involvement with Akiyama as a go-between.”

Emphasizing that Akiyama should be subpoenaed as a sworn witness, Shii said, “The need now is to unravel how five trillion yen in tax money is expended each year for military buildup, and the structure that ensures the interests of those involved.”

The JCP chair said that now that the names of two former defense chiefs allegedly involved in the scandal have been cited, the prime minister and the government must be held responsible. “Prime Minister Fukuda has the responsibility to take the lead in ordering a thorough investigation and reporting the findings to the Diet,” he said.

Stressing that the JCP will continue to strive to bring the matter to light in parliament, Shii said future discussions on the new anti-terrorism special measures law should be delayed because “the government is not in a position to be able to talk of Japan’s ‘international contributions’ without first clearing the Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces of corrupt practices and suspicions of seeking special interests.” - Akahata, November 16, 2007