Koizumi aide quits amidst pension scandal

[dArKeR]

By Elaine Lies

Tokyo - One of the most powerful members of the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, top government spokesperson Yasuo Fukuda, quit on Friday after admitting he had skipped payments into the creaking state pension plan.

Analysts said the surprise resignation could weaken Koizumi, whose government faces Upper House elections in July, but may also improve his party's image in the face of a widening scandal over the failure of many politicians to pay into the fund.

Fukuda, who was chief cabinet secretary, is one of several cabinet members, including Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki and Economics Minister Heizo Takenaka, who have admitted to not paying pension premiums at a time when the government is trying to coax reluctant ordinary citizens to pay up.

http://iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1083906361180B215&set_id=1

[dArKeR]

1. Japanese pension scandal expands

REUTERS , TOKYO
Sunday, May 09, 2004,Page 5

A furor over Japanese pensions that has forced a top Cabinet member to quit continued yesterday as another minister admitted to skipping more mandatory payments into the state pension fund than he had revealed previously.

The widening scandal threatens to claim the leader of Japan's largest opposition party, who also has failed to make payments, and could weaken Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi ahead of legislative elections in July.

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Saturday he felt "very sorry" for the missed payments but that he has no plans to step down. "It was just a short period but it was careless," he told reporters.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/05/09/2003154746

Under examination, I think the Japanese political system is more corrupt than Saddam's Iraq, Arroyo's PI, aWol's America, Egypt's Mubarak, Carlyle's Bush Sr...