Japan Press Weekly

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2007 December 5 - 11 [SDF]

Former Defense chief and Diet members used tax money to attend private conference in U.S.

Japanese Communist Party Dietmember Daimon Mikishi has revealed that Finance Minister Nukaga Fukushiro (former Defense Agency director general) and several Dietmembers used government subsidies to attend the Japan-U.S. Security Conference held in Washington D.C.

On December 5, Daimon held a news conference in the Diet to expose the financial report submitted by Akiyama Naoki, who represents the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange that organized the conference, to the Japan Foundation, an independent administrative agency that subsidizes the Center.

The report shows that the cost of Dietmembers’ participation in the conference was one million yen per person and that most of it was covered by tax money and by donations from the arms industries. Participants paid only a tiny fraction of the cost themselves.

Asked by Daimon in the House of Councilors Financial Affairs Committee meeting on November 6 about the allegation that he used tax money to attend the international conference, Nukaga said, “I have nothing to do with any government financial support.”

Daimon emphasized the importance of summoning Nukaga and Akiyama, pointing out that Nukaga was the vice president of the National Security Research Group that sponsors the conference, together with the Center, and has a close relationship with Akiyama. - Akahata, December 6, 2007