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Former Prime Minister Abe bows after finishing House Steering Committee = 25th, in Diet
On the 25th, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe officially admitted to the House Steering Committee of both Houses of Representatives that he had given repeated false answers in parliament during dinner the day before the “Cherry Blossom Festival.” However, no new materials were presented, such as a statement confirming the cost of the dinner, and it is unclear why it was not treated as political funds. Far from “a point of transparency without blurring” that he swore at the press conference the day before, he continued to insist on innocence in the face of the fact that the Tokyo District Prosecutor’s Office did not prosecute himself. (Takahiro Kitani)
The Special Investigation Department briefly accused Abe’s first public secretary of violating the Political Funds Regulation Act, claiming that he did not report the payment to the hotel that was the dinner venue in the political fund balance report and was sentenced to a fine. Confirm. Mr. Abe explained that the shortfall in the participants’ membership fee was reimbursed from funds held by the office.
One of the central points is why I did not mention it in the report. Mr. Toru Miyamoto of the Communist Party pointed out in a question from the House of Representatives that 2014, when the non-declaration began, coincides with the moment when the then Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Yuko Obuchi, resigned on suspicion of a false description in the income and expense report. “I think it was to hide a lot of profit,” he continued.
Mr. Abe revealed that he asked the former secretary who was in charge of accounting for the dinner through a lawyer about the circumstances, but “(the former secretary) said that he should not contact on this matter, ‘I cannot answer. “It was a zero response.” I can’t say it myself, “he said.
On the other hand, the prosecution’s investigation confirmed the amount of compensation by Mr. Abe, but it is unclear what the meal was at dinner and who actually paid the hotel in what form. The opposition parties requested that the statement and receipt issued by the hotel be presented as a key to clarify the real situation.
However, Mr. Abe rejected the statement, saying: “There is a secret in the hotel business and it cannot be disclosed under the premise of disclosure.” The request to reissue the receipt, which was allegedly lost at the office, was only answered as “considering”.
While he did not show a supportive attitude towards seeking the truth, he emphasized that he was innocent with the conclusion of the accusation as a shield.
He repeatedly insisted that “the investigating authorities decided that (the compensation) did not provide profit” when he noted that the compensation would violate the Public Office Elections Act, which prohibits donations to constituency voters. “I have fought in nine elections, but I have always had a resounding victory, and I am not even thinking about making a profit and collecting votes,” he argued, asking if it would touch on the public elections law. It created a logic that was not directly related.
Tetsuro Fukuyama, from the Democratic Constitutional Party, criticized the opposition legislator who posed the question: “The attitude of endlessly answering what has not been asked and buying time is the same as during the position of prime minister” and “It has not answered “. After the question, the general secretary emphasized to the journalists: “The suspicion has deepened. I cannot entirely agree with the attitude of the prime minister who continued to lie in the Diet.” He said he will continue to seek accountability in next year’s ordinary parliament, including the subpoenaing of witnesses who will be charged with false witnesses if they give false testimony.
