Japan Press Weekly

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2007 November 7 - 13 TOP3 [SDF]

Scandal-ridden former executive of arms dealer arrested over suspicion of embezzlement

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on November 8 arrested Miyazaki Motonobu, a former executive of Yamada Corporation, an arms dealer, who fostered a collusive relationship with former Vice Defense Minister Moriya Takehisa, for allegedly embezzling about 100 million yen.

Miyazaki is suspected of taking off-the-book funds for years from Yamada Corp.’s U.S. subsidiary Yamada International Corp., disguising it as remuneration for directors, and transferring 100 million yen from the funds to Japan to use for private, including for setting up his new company.

The prosecutors are also expected to investigate cozy ties between Miyazaki and Moriya.

At the same time, it is necessary for the Diet to uncover the full picture of the collusive relationship between politicians, bureaucrats, and the military industry to divide their shares of the military budget of five trillion yen a year.

Commenting on Miyazaki’s arrest, Japanese Communist Party Diet Policy Commission Chair Kokuta Keiji on the same day said that efforts not only by prosecutors but also in the Diet are needed to uncover the truth and called for a full-fledged Diet investigation.

Kokuta stressed the need to investigate how defense traders’ concession hunting has influenced the Defense Ministry’s purchase of engines for the Air Self-Defense Force’s new cargo transport aircraft as well as whether it has ever distorted the nation’s defense policies.

In his sworn Lower House testimony on October 29, Moriya admitted that he had been entertained by Miyazaki on golf courses more than 200 times. On the other hand, Moriya denied the allegation that he has given any special treatment to Miyazaki over the procurement of the engines.

Miyazaki and Yamada Corp. are suspected of having a collusion relationship with politicians. In the Diet testimony, Moriya, in response to questioning by Japanese Communist Party representative Akamine Seiken, said that former defense agency director generals also attended the dinner parties at which Moriya was wined and dined by Miyazaki. - Akahata, November 9, 2007