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Aides advised Hatoyama to consider replacement for Ozawa as prosecutors lurked
Close aides to Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama at one point advised him to consider a successor for ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa in case prosecutors formed a case against the heavyweight over a political funding scandal, party sources say.
"The best option is to promote Azuma Koshiishi, head of the caucus of DPJ House of Councillors members or Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka to secretary-general. Please consider it just in case," one of them told Hatoyama at the end of January.
After he was questioned by prosecutors over a political funding scandal involving his fund-raising body Rikuzan-kai on Jan. 23, Ozawa told a news conference that he will stay on. "I'd like to fulfill my responsibilities."
However, the situation drastically changed after it emerged that Ozawa was questioned as a crime suspect after being notified that he had the right to remain silent and that he signed two of his depositions. The possibility that prosecutors would form a case against Ozawa could not be ruled out.
Legislators who are close to Hatoyama began to select a successor to Ozawa from among DPJ legislators who have maintained friendly relations with him and whose appointment as secretary-general could be accepted by an intraparty group close to him.
They excluded Cabinet members from candidates to avoid a Cabinet reshuffle. They named Banri Kaieda, the second-in-command in the party's Election Campaign Committee, in addition to Koshiishi and Yamaoka.
As the selection of a successor to Ozawa progressed behind the scenes, Prime Minister Hatoyama began to tone down his position to support Ozawa.
On Jan. 16, Hatoyama had encouraged Ozawa to "confront" prosecutors. However, he later told close aides that what he said was "a bit too strong."
Top officials at the prime minister's office then discussed the wording of remarks Hatoyama should make.
Hatoyama now says "at the present stage" or "now" when he talks about whether Ozawa should remain in his post. When asked about how he thinks the investigation into the case will develop, the prime minister says, "I can't answer any hypothetical question."
An aide advised Hatoyama to "tone down his remarks" prior to the Feb. 4 expiration of the period of detaining House of Representatives member Tomohiro Ishikawa and two others, under arrest over the case.
However, there is no sign that Hatoyama himself was involved in the selection of a successor to Ozawa, and he appears to have just listened to his aides' recommendations. Moreover, the aides apparently assumed that Ozawa might be indicted without being arrested, and they apparently did not consider responses to his possible arrest.
Aides to Hatoyama thought they had no choice but to leave Ozawa to control the logistics of the DPJ's election campaign for the House of Councillors election in summer, while wanting him to step down to fend off voters' criticism of the governing party. In other words, the move to pick a successor to Ozawa represents an opportunistic attitude by Hatoyama aides.
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) February 8, 2010