EDITORIAL: Hatoyama fund problem

A court ruling concerning Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's political fund problem found his former chief state-paid aide guilty of falsifying reports for a vast amount of political funds. The money actually came from Hatoyama himself and his mother but was listed under false names.

The ruling is reasonable, given the sloppy handling of the political funds.

Entries in Hatoyama's political fund reports were falsified for about 400 million yen ($4.3 million) over a five-year period. The former aide's side argued that the falsification would not lead to cozy ties or political corruption because the money came from the prime minister and his relatives.

However, the defendant's actions clearly violated the Political Fund Control Law, which is designed to make the money flow transparent and place it under public scrutiny.

What was regarded as particularly problematical was the monthly payment of 15 million yen, mocked as "a child allowance from a mother," to Hatoyama's fund management organization. Even if the prime minister's assertion that he knew nothing about it is true, it is clear he had failed to keep an eye on his aide, who managed Hatoyama's funds.

Hatoyama has been calling for transparency in the flow of political funds since he was a rookie lawmaker. His excuse that he had left the management of his funds to his aide for many years and did not know what was going on is simply unacceptable.

Last week, Hatoyama told his supporters, "Everything will be settled next week and there is no need to worry after that." But his thinking is wrong. There are many things he must do from now on.

First, he needs to clarify how he spent part of the funds whose use remains unclear.

Hatoyama had promised that once the former aide's trial was over and documents seized by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office were returned, he would have them analyzed by a lawyer and publicize the findings.

However, in a one-on-one Diet debate with New Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi the other day, Hatoyama took back his word and said, "There is no need to submit the documents."

We are not calling for the disclosure of private spending but demanding that the prime minister reveal expenditures related to politics and election campaigns. In order to dispel suspicions, he should report the actual situation without delay.

Discussions between ruling and opposition parties to ban donations by companies and other organizations have yet to be held. To achieve progress on this issue during the current Diet session, the ruling coalition should accept the opposition camp's demands that the former aide and others be summoned as sworn witnesses. We don't want to hear such lame excuses as, "It is something for the Diet to decide."

When it was an opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan had questioned the ruling parties about their use of political funds. The public has been intently watching the behavior of the DPJ since it came to power.

But Hatoyama is simply pinning all the blame on his former aide. The prime minister refuses to take responsibility and is dodging demands that witnesses provide sworn testimony, as many Liberal Democratic Party politicians did in the past.

Hatoyama's stance has deepened public distrust and caused disillusionment toward the change of government.

Hatoyama has denied he would step down, saying, "I will carry out my responsibility by meeting the expectations of the people who want changes in politics." After his flip-flopping on key policy issues, his words sound hollow.

The guilty ruling of his former aide does not put an end to the problem.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 23