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Public distrust in DPJ could trigger resurgence in move to force Ozawa to resign
The public's growing distrust in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan over a political funding scandal involving DPJ heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa's fund-raising body could trigger a resurgence of an intraparty campaign to force him to step down, say party insiders.
When he met with his allies in Tokyo at the end of January, former DPJ Policy Research Committee Chairman Yukio Edano declared that he would openly criticize Ozawa, and even mention the possibility that he should step down as party secretary-general.
"Mr. Ozawa may be indicted on Feb. 4. If that happens, it'd be bad for the party that no member voices criticism before that," Edano told his allies, including Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Seiji Maehara.
While opposition parties are attacking the DPJ for a lack of self-cleansing capabilities during Diet deliberations, DPJ legislators had been forced to take a wait-and-see attitude despite the arrest of one of its legislators over the scandal. They were desperate and irritated.
On Jan. 31, Edano told a rally in his hometown of Saitama, "Ozawa should take certain action to assume his responsibility," indirectly urging the DPJ bigwig to step down.
At the same time, Maehara, who is also an anti-Ozawa member, called on the party to "show its self-cleansing capabilities."
Two weeks earlier, influential DPJ legislators distancing themselves from Ozawa had prepared to openly criticize Ozawa. They met at a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo immediately after a party convention on Jan. 16 -- and agreed to launch an anti-Ozawa campaign.
"Mr. Ozawa is apparently trying to get the party and the Cabinet into trouble," one of them said.
"Let's get united and protect Yuki (Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama)," another said.
Those who attended were the "seven magistrates," so-called anti-Ozawa members, including former House of Representatives Vice Speaker Kozo Watanabe, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, State Minister for National Policy and Government Revitalization Yoshito Sengoku, Senior Vice Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Edano.
They held the function as a birthday party for Sengoku. However, the actual purpose of the gathering was to consider responses to Hatoyama's remark encouraging Ozawa to "confront" prosecutors, which has given the public the impression that the prime minister was defending Ozawa. Moreover, they feared that if Ozawa was indicted, both the prime minister and the DPJ secretary-general would go down together.
"After the meeting, one of the seven magistrates advised the prime minister to exercise prudence in his relations with Mr. Ozawa," one anti-Ozawa legislator revealed. Apparently thanks to the advice, Hatoyama has since made remarks suggesting he is distancing himself from Ozawa.
One of those who attended the meeting said that the gathering was primarily aimed at drawing a line between Hatoyama and Ozawa rather than to demand Ozawa step down.
The move to demonstrate the party's self-cleansing capabilities to the public and drive a wedge between Hatoyama and Ozawa has become less visible since prosecutors decided not to indict Ozawa.
Nevertheless, a mid-ranking DPJ legislator who is critical of Ozawa points to the possibility that the time may come to demand Ozawa resign.
"Even though he wasn't indicted, the public suspects that Ozawa was involved in the scandal. The time may come for us to urge him again to step down if the public remains critical of us shortly before the House of Councillors election," he said.
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) February 8, 2010