Editorial
Public panel's calls that Ozawa be indicted over funding scandal a cause for grave concern
A panel of citizens has recommended Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa be indicted over a scandal involving his political fund management body, despite prosecutors' earlier decision not to indict him due to a lack of evidence.
The Tokyo No. 5 Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution, comprised of 11 people randomly selected from the general public, decided unanimously that Ozawa merits indictment on charges of violating the Law to Regulate Money Used for Political Activities.
Ozawa has stated that he believes that the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has proven that he is innocent after conducting a one-year investigation into the case. However, based on the same evidence, the inquest panel has deemed that he should be charged, pointing out that his statements during questioning cannot be trusted.
Ozawa's conclusion that prosecutors' decision not to indict him for a lack of evidence has proven his innocence is unreasonable. Ozawa should take the inquest panel's decision seriously.
Three former secretaries to Ozawa, including House of Representatives member Tomohiro Ishikawa, are standing trial for failing to record 400 million yen they borrowed from Ozawa to buy land in Tokyo in the fund-raising body Rikuzan-kai's political fund reports.
The inquest committee has concluded that prosecutors can recognize that Ozawa, who has the power to give orders to his aides, conspired with the defendants in the case. As evidence, the panel pointed out that Ishikawa and another former secretary Mitsutomo Ikeda consulted with Ozawa and received approval from the politician before submitting the political fund reports to authorities.
Prosecutors had concluded that the statements alone lack enough details to prove that Ozawa conspired with the defendants. In other words, prosecutors have imposed higher standards to make sure that the defendants they indict are convicted.
However, the inquest panel criticized Ozawa for placing the blame on his former secretaries and evading responsibility himself as a politician. It contended that Ozawa's actions are unforgivable from the standpoint of ordinary citizens, as scandals involving politics and money have heightened the public's distrust in politics.
The panel then concluded that it is necessary to get to the bottom of the case and clarify the responsibility for the case in a court. This should be hailed as a frank assessment.
With the reasons for the panel's decision fully in mind, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is required to try its utmost to get to the bottom of the case through its re-investigation and decide on whether to indict Ozawa. If prosecutors decide not to indict him again and the inquest panel votes for a second time to recommend he be indicted, a court-appointed team of lawyers will indict him on behalf of prosecutors. In that sense, the panel's decision is of great significance.
The decision has also dealt a serious blow to the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. The prime minister, who heads the DPJ, has failed to clarify the responsibility for a political funding scandal involving his own fund management body as well as the Ozawa case by refusing to provide an explanation of these cases in the Diet, contributing to the public's distrust in politics.
Aided partly by his administration's indecision on the relocation of U.S. Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture, the approval ratings for his Cabinet have plunged to alarming levels.
Ozawa should thoroughly explain the scandal involving his political fund management body on the occasion of the re-investigation into the case. Failure to do so would only cause the DPJ and the Hatoyama administration to further lose support from voters.
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(Mainichi Japan) April 28, 2010