LDP Exec Denies Ex-Farm Minister's Influence on Budget Cuts
Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--An executive of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Sunday denied that scandal-hit former agriculture minister Kazuo Yana had influenced budget cuts for municipalities whose mayors did not support him in a general election. Commenting on Yana's remark that road budgets had been significantly reduced for the municipalities, LDP Executive Acting Secretary-G...
Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--An executive of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sunday rejected allegations that former agriculture minister Kazuo Yana had swayed budget cuts for municipalities that opposed him in a recent election. Responding to Yana's claim that road budgets had been heavily trimmed for these municipalities, LDP Executive Acting Secretary-General Koichi Hagiuda stated on a televised debate show that "we have been unable to substantiate that the allocations for individual projects were altered due to Yana's comments or actions."
He emphasized that "there isn't a system in place that permits a single lawmaker to either increase or decrease the budget of a local government." Apologizing for Yana's remarks potentially leading to his removal as agriculture minister, Hagiuda urged Yana to provide a clear explanation of his actions. He stressed that "budget allocations must not be subject to arbitrary influence" and called for a comprehensive investigation into any concerns regarding the distribution of funds, indicating the possibility of reviewing the appropriateness of budget allocations.
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