Japan Press Weekly

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2008 January 9 - 15 [POLITICS]

Defense Minister Ishiba was dined by Mitsubishi: Akiyama

Akiyama Naoki, the executive director of the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange who is known as a go-between for Japanese and U.S. military industries and Japanese political circles, in his unsworn testimony at the January 8 Upper House Defense Committee meeting stated that together with politicians, including Defense Minister Ishiba Shigeru, he had been dined at facilities owned by Mitsubishi and other munitions corporations.

His testimony revealed part of the political maneuvering that the munitions corporations have been performing targeting Ishiba and former Defense Minister Kyuma Fumio.

Akiyama, however, denied the allegation that he received a total of 130 million yen from an arms dealer, Yamada Corporation, in connection with securing its agency contract with the Defense Ministry to sell cargo transport aircraft (CX) engines as well as winning the ministry’s contract for the disposal of poison gas shells which the Japanese Imperial Army abandoned in Fukuoka Prefecture.

Japanese Communist Party representative Daimon Mikishi demanded that Akiyama and Kyuma be summoned as sworn witnesses before the committee.

In answering Daimon’s questions, Akiyama admitted that he was invited “several times” to Kantokaku, the Mitsubishi group’s guest house in Tokyo’s Minato Ward and stated, “I think he (Ishiba) was there with me.”

Akiyama also admitted that he and Kyuma were dined at a munitions firm’s resort facility and that he was frequently dined by several munitions companies along with Kyuma and other politicians.

He stated that he attended parties hosted by munitions firms several times with Nukaga Fukushiro, the finance minister and former Defense Agency director general.

Akiyama’s organization in 2003 won a Defense Agency contract to study the project of disposing poison gas shells despite the fact that it had no experience in such projects. Akiyama testified that the Defense Agency wanted the contract to be awarded to his organization, proving that the bidding was simply a formality.

Akiyama denied the allegation that he received 100 million yen from Yamada Corporation that was a subcontractor.

Although Akiyama admitted that Yamada Corporation paid a consultant fee to a U.S. company in which he is serving as an advisor, he refused to disclose how much it was.