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By Yoko Kubota and Linda Sieg
TOKYO (Reuters) - The No. 2 leader of Japan's ruling Democratic Party (DPJ) urged powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa to appear before a parliamentary ethics panel over a funding scandal and said the party would have to decide the...
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Powerbroker Ozawa's shadow haunts ruling party
Sun, Dec 12 2010
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Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan (R) walks in front of Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku as he leaves a news conference to mark the end of the parliament session, at his official residence in Tokyo December 6, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Toru Hanai
By Yoko Kubota and Linda Sieg
TOKYO |
Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:33am EST
TOKYO (Reuters) - The No. 2 leader of Japan's ruling Democratic Party (DPJ) urged powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa to appear before a parliamentary ethics panel over a funding scandal and said the party would have to decide the matter if Ozawa refused.
The bickering could delay decisions on a draft of the budget for the year from April 1 and related tax reforms, including a corporate tax cut companies want to boost global competitiveness.
It has also sparked speculation that the Democrats could unravel, stoking political upheaval as the government struggles to pass bills in a divided parliament and bolster a weak economy.
DPJ Secretary-general Katsuya Okada told a news conference that party executives had entrusted him with a decision on the matter, which has sparked strife in the party.
"The issue is one of the reasons obstructing the operation of parliament and ... could affect elections," Okada said.
He added that he wanted to meet Ozawa soon and resolve the issue quickly, but sidestepped questions about what would happen if Ozawa declined to explain himself in parliament.
The DPJ swept to power last year, ending more than half a century of almost non-stop rule by its conservative rival. But the scandal dogging veteran party strategist Ozawa has helped to slice voter support for Prime Minister Naoto Kan's government to about 25 percent.
"The problem at the moment is that we've got a lot of huge problems in Japan and they are just not being dealt with," said Nicholas Smith, director of equity research at MF Global FXA Securities in Tokyo.
"Foreigners are watching this very closely."
Party strife, he said, would affect a wide range of policies from a possible future rise in the 5 percent sales tax to fix Japan's debt-laden public finances to passage of the state budget from next April 1 and a proposed cut in corporate income tax.
A judicial panel has ruled that Ozawa, 68, must be indicted on suspicion on falsification of reports by his political funding organization.
He has denied any wrongdoing and could well refuse to appear before the panel, which has no authority to force him to attend.
DISMAL ELECTION SHOWING
Okada seems to hope that sending a signal about the need for Ozawa to explain himself might help to win support in parliament from the second-biggest opposition party, the New Komeito.
The rift, however, has fanned concerns that Ozawa might bolt the DPJ as he did in 1993 from the Liberal Democratic Party, sparking a chain reaction that briefly ousted the party.
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