Koizumi denies rape case
2004-06-14 12:42
Tokyo - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday admitted he was being sued over rape allegations published by a tabloid magazine, but dismissed the accusation as totally false.
"It really staggers me that someone filed such a false suit," Koizumi told a parliamentary committee after an opposition lawmaker brought up internet chat about the suit and other rape speculation on a bulletin board website in questions.
A Tokyo resident who identified himself as Aiji Kimura said on his website he had lodged the civil suit against Koizumi with the Tokyo District Court on March 30, questioning his fitness to be prime minister.
Citing a tabloid magazine report alleging that Koizumi raped a woman in 1967 when he was a university student, Kimura, who is in his 60s, said he was seeking ¥10 000 yen (about R600) in symbolic damages.
"I demand the respondent resign (as prime minister) as soon as possible because I can no longer tolerate this most scandalous situation," Kimura said in the petition he submitted to the court and posted on his website.
The original report did not identify the alleged victim, and no woman has come forward making similar claims independently.
An official at the Tokyo court confirmed "a damages suit was filed against Junichiro Koizumi" in March, with the first hearing held on May 6 and the second scheduled for Tuesday.
The court official refused to disclose further details for privacy reasons.
Koizumi said in parliament he hoped "the court will handle (the matter) appropriately and reject the plaintiff's argument promptly," while repeating the allegation was "totally false".
But he dismissed the possibility of taking legal action himself for defamation.
"I have been a target of defamation, accusations and slander all the time and it is impossible to cope with every one of them," he said. "What I can do is to give up (the idea of taking action) and put up with it by considering this as the price of being famous."