Japan Press Weekly

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2011 February 16 - 22 [SCANDAL]

JCP Kasai calls for investigation on bid-rigging scandal on ‘Ozawa’ dam

Japanese Communist Party member Kasai Akira at a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on February 21 called on the government to carry out another investigation in regard to the alleged bid-rigging over the Isawa Dam construction project in Iwate Prefecture.

Kasai also demanded that the Diet summon former Democratic Party of Japan leader Ozawa Ichiro to give sworn testimony regarding donations he had allegedly received from contractors of the public works projects.

When Kasai revealed at a budget committee meeting in February 2010 that the Land Ministry had received information suggesting possible collusive biddings on two projects for the Isawa Dam construction, then Land Minister Maehara Seiji promised to carry out an investigation.

Recalling the former minister’s remark, Kasai stated that the ministry’s report on its investigation, dated August 11, 2010, reached the following conclusion: it did not confirm that the suggested bid-rigging had taken place or that its staff had been involved in such actions.

The Land Ministry had reportedly received the collusive bidding-related information more than once from a person who had identified him/herself. Kasai asked if the ministry had made contact with the person and obtained more detailed information. Land Minister Ohata Akihiro answered that it had not attempted to contact the person.

“Then it can be hardly said that an effort was sincerely made to examine the veracity of the information,” the JCP representative stressed.

Ohata acknowledged that the previous investigation undertaken by his ministry was insufficient. Prime Minister Kan Naoto stated that he will instruct the ministry to carry out further inquiries into the allegation.

Regarding Ozawa’s allegation of receiving donations from Mizutani Construction and other contractors in the Isawa Dam projects, Kasai said, “It is a grave matter if tax money is allowed to flow to politicians in the form of illegal donations at a time when citizens are suffering from severe economic recession.”

Kasai stressed that corporations and other organizations must be banned from making political donations in order to eradicate the root cause of corruption. He criticized the DPJ for failing to fulfill its election promise to work for the enactment of a bill to legally prohibit such donations.

Prime Minister Kan answered, “The illegal flow of tax money to politicians must not take place. I will do my utmost to stick to this principle.”