Editorial
Legislator Ishikawa urged to fulfill accountability for money scandal
House of Representatives member Tomohiro Ishikawa, who has been indicted over a money scandal, is urged to fulfill his accountability for the case as a representative of the public rather than a former secretary to a legislator.
Ishikawa left the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on Thursday after being charged with violating the Law to Regulate Money Used for Political Activities over shady funding for land purchased by DPJ Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa's political fund management body Rikuzan-kai.
Politicians are required to handle their political funds in an appropriate manner. Nevertheless, Ishikawa has admitted that he falsely recorded the source of hundreds of millions of yen in Rikuzan-kai's political fund reports. Even though he carried out his wrongdoings in the capacity of a secretary to Ozawa, it was only natural that he quit the party, as it has been a customary practice for legislators to leave the political parties they belong to if they are indicted over money scandals. However, one cannot help but wonder if simply leaving the party is enough.
The question is how the Lower House should handle a draft resolution urging Ishikawa to resign as a legislator, which has been submitted to the chamber by three opposition parties -- the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Komeito and Your Party.
While the LDP is demanding that the draft resolution be put to a vote in a plenary session of the Lower House at an early date, DPJ Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka said the party will not comply.
The Lower House has passed three similar resolutions. However, they failed to force the legislators concerned to step down because they are not legally binding. Nevertheless, the chamber should at least vote on the draft resolution against Ishikawa to clarify the Diet's position on the issue.
The Diet should further investigate and deliberate on the details of the incident. At a news conference on Tuesday shortly after he was released on bail, Ishikawa denied that he made false entries in Rikuzan-kai's political fund reports in a bid to cover up the sources of the political funds or received any illicit donations from general contractors including Mizutani Kensetsu.
Ishikawa made the denial in an alleged bid to keep consistency with Ozawa's remarks that the incorrect entries in Rikuzan-kai's political fund reports were the result of a mere miscalculation. However, he had repeatedly said it would be undesirable if it emerged that Ozawa has a large amount of money as it could raise suspicions about corruption, which appears to be inconsistent with his explanation at Tuesday's news conference.
Ishikawa subsequently corrected his explanation, but failed to clarify his motives behind his false entries in the political fund reports. He should provide a more detailed explanation of the allegations that Rikuzan-kai accepted secret donations from general contractors, which is the core of the incident.
The Diet can deliberate on political scandals in various ways, such as by convening the Deliberative Council on Political Ethics and summoning those concerned to testify as either sworn or unsworn witnesses.
After voting on the draft resolution calling on Ishikawa to resign, the chamber should deliberate on the incident at one of such venues. Opposition parties should not compromise over the matter since Ozawa expressed reluctance at a recent news conference to provide an explanation of the incident at the Diet.
It is true that prosecutors have indicted Ishikawa over an illegal act he allegedly committed as a secretary to Ozawa, and not as a Diet member, as the DPJ secretary-general pointed out. Nevertheless, Ishikawa will now be required to decide whether to resign or not as a publicly elected representative of the public. He should take action while keeping in mind that his position has changed.
(Mainichi Japan) February 12, 2010