ニュース 2010/11/04 Okada comments to press following meeting with Ozawa On November 4, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada held his regular press conference at party headquarters. He revealed he had met with former Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa inside the Diet building on the afternoon of that same day, and had discussed the possibility of Ozawa’s appearing at the Deliberative Council on Political Ethics in the House of Representatives. Okada said that it would not be appropriate for him to comment in detail regarding remarks made by Ozawa, but reported that the latter had stated, “I have no intention of changing my mind [from the stance of not attending the Deliberate Council].” He added that the two would hold further discussions in an attempt to reach an agreement on the issue. Okada explained that during the meeting he had urged Ozawa to agree to appearing at the Deliberative Council since this was affecting debate for and the direction of voting on the supplementary budget, as well as debate on future legislation. He added he had stated that legal and political responsibility were different matters, and that making an explanation to the Diet would not be run counter to Ozawa’s intention of fighting charges in a legal setting. Okada also commented on his meeting that morning with former Chinese State Council member and foreign minister, Chinese Chair of the New Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century, Tang Jiaxuan. He stressed, “I hope that such private rather than government exchanges can be used effectively and can provide a boost to the Japan-China relationship.” He also revealed that the APEC meeting and the issue of the Senkaku Islands had been discussed during the meeting.