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On February 8, Prime Minister and DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama spoke to reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office. He revealed that during a meeting held with DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa earlier that same day, Ozawa had said, “I regret any worry I have caused. I hope it will be acceptable for me to continue [as Secretary General]?” to which he (Hatoyama) had replied, “Yes, it is.”
Furthermore, in response to a question as to whether the Political Fund Control Law should be amended so as to introduce a system under which politicians would be found guilty-by-association for any illegalities committed by their staff, Hatoyama said, “It is undesirable for [public] confidence in politics to be shaken. We have to take stricter measures. I believe that we should come to a resolution during the current Diet session if possible.”
In relation to reports that funds from the so-called “secret diplomatic fund” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were transferred to the Cabinet Secretariat, Hatoyama was asked whether he intended to investigate the use of such funds, to which he replied, “I believe that it would be preferable to disclose matters to the public as much as is possible.”
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