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Fresh scandal in Japan
23/10/2007 12:05 - (SA)
Tokyo - Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Tuesday ordered a probe into another scandal besetting the defence ministry, just as parliament took up his bid to extend a controversial military mission.
"It is deplorable that there has been no end to the problems undermining the public trust," Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba quoted Fukuda as telling him in a meeting.
A former top defence ministry bureaucrat, Takemasa Moriya, is accused of ethical violations by being entertained for years by the head of a major defence contractor.
Yamada Corp allegedly paid for more than 100 golf trips with Moriya and the trading house's former executive reportedly wrote a letter recommending Moriya's daughter for admission to a US university.
Ishiba said Moriya admitted to the allegations. He asked Moriya to give up the customary retirement bonus he received in August, when he stepped down under pressure from the previous defence minister, Yuriko Koike.
Quoting Fukuda, Ishiba said: "I want all staff members of the defence ministry - which is in charge of the very important task of self-defence - to show discipline and handle their missions with sincerity."
Japan has been officially pacifist since defeat in World War II, making all military operations controversial.
A parliamentary committee started debate on Tuesday on a bill to extend a mission in the Indian Ocean supplying fuel for US-led forces in Afghanistan. Fukuda argues that Japan, the world's second largest economy, needs to take responsibility for global security.
The opposition, which won one house of parliament in July elections, wants the mission to end when legislation expires on November 1, saying that Japan should not be part of "American wars".
The opposition vowed to pursue the truth to the Moriya allegations.
"The latest scandal raises the issue of civilian control" over the military, said senior opposition lawmaker Yoshiro Hachiro.
The government has already pledged to investigate why the defence ministry underreported the amount of fuel it delivered, which led to opposition charges the oil was being diverted to US forces in Iraq.
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