Japan Press Weekly

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2010 November 24 - 30 [SCANDAL]

Construction firm once headed by Your Party member donated 10 million yen to Ozawa

A construction company formally headed by a Your Party Dietmember had made donations of more than 10 million yen to former Democratic Party of Japan leader Ozawa Ichiro. This firm had won contracts for Isawa Dam-related works, which are recognized as the symbol of Ozawa’s money scandal, Akahata revealed on November 23.

Terata Sukeshiro, a 70 year-old parliamentarian elected in the House of Councilors election this year, was the president of the construction company “Sowa Kensetsu” in Akita Prefecture from 1967 to 1991. Until 2006, Terata was a top shareholder of the company, holding 22.5 percent of its stock.

According to political funds reports, the company had given a total of 11.14 million yen to Ozawa’s related organizations from 1995 to 2003, including 2.5 million yen to his fund-managing body “Rikuzankai” and 1.2 million yen to a local Liberal Party branch headed by Ozawa.

Requested by Ozawa in 1997, Terata ran for the Akita gubernatorial election and took office for 12 years during three terms. During this period, Sowa Kensetsu won contracts for Isawa-dam related works amounting to more than 1.7 billion yen.

Right after this year’s Upper House election, Terata said that the Your Party should work for a coalition with the DPJ.
- Akahata, November 23, 2010