Japan Press Weekly

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2009 March 4 - 10 [POLITICS]

Ozawa’s secretary arrested over receiving illegal donations

Tokyo prosecutors on March 3 arrested Democratic Party President Ozawa Ichiro’s chief secretary on suspicion of accepting illegal corporate donations.

Arrested was Okubo Takanori, who is the chief accountant of Ozawa’s fund raising group “Rikuzankai” which allegedly accepted funds from Nishimatsu Construction Co.

Prosecutors also arrested former Nishimatsu President Kunisawa Mikio and searched the offices of Rikuzankai on the same day.

The Political Funds Control Law prohibits corporate donations except to political parties as well as made under another person’s name.

Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Kokuta Keiji said on the same day, “This is a serious matter. DPJ President Ozawa has the obligation to publicly explain the matter.”

Pointing out that the Liberal Democratic Party as well as the DPJ need to clarify the matter since more than 10 members of the two parties have been found to have received a total of more than 85 million yen in donations from organizations related to Nishimatsu, Kokuta said, “All forms of political donations should be banned.”

He also said this matter should be discussed in the Diet.