Japan Press Weekly

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2008 August 27 - September 2 [POLITICS]

JCP says agriculture minister must come clean about allegation of inappropriate use of tax money

Agriculture Minister Ota Seiichi is facing an allegation that his financial report included an expenditure of more than 23 million yen in 2005 and 2006 for running a political organization office that does not exist.

It has been revealed that the address Ota reported as the location of his political organization is his secretary’s house, which has no office space for the organization.

In fact, Ota has neither paid office rent to his secretary nor hired anyone as office staff.

Asked by reporters for a comment, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi on August 26 said, “Before the Extraordinary Session of the Diet opens on September 12, Ota should come clean about the allegation. If he does not do so, the JCP will question him about the allegation in the upcoming Diet session.”

Ichida also said, “Fukuda Yasuo as the prime minister who appointed Ota as agriculture minister should press Ota to tell the truth to the public.”

Some other politicians, including Finance Minister Ibuki Bunmei, ex-Agriculture Ministers Matsuoka Toshikatsu and Akagi Norihiko, and ex-LDP Policy Research Council Chair Nakagawa Shoichi also came under fire for their shady spending of some ten million yen as expenses for either a fictitious office or a rent-free office.

Among them was then Agriculture Minister Matsuoka, who committed suicide in May 2007 after the revelation of his inappropriate use of tax money. His successor Akagi was also forced to resign after the revelation of an office expenses-related scandal.