首相元秘書有罪 「説明する」も嘘だったのか

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Apr. 24, 2010)

Hatoyama must explain political funds scandal
首相元秘書有罪　「説明する」も嘘だったのか（4月23日付・読売社説）

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama continues to be evasive in facing up to the politics-and-money scandal he is entangled in, refusing to explain for what purpose he used such a massive amount of money. In his own defense, the prime minister said the case was still under investigation, and later, that it was before the court.
　これまで捜査中や公判中であることを理由に、巨額資金の使途の説明から逃げて来た鳩山首相である。

Hatoyama should waste no time in fulfilling his duty and make a full explanation.
速やかに説明責任を果たすべき時だ。

On Thursday, the Tokyo District Court handed down a ruling in a case involving allegedly falsified income and expenditure reports on political funds submitted by Yuai Seikei Konwa-kai, the prime minister's funds management organization. Keiji Katsuba, Hatoyama's former first state-paid secretary, was sentenced to a two-year prison term, suspended for three years, for violating the Political Funds Control Law.
　首相の資金管理団体「友愛政経懇話会」の偽装献金事件で、政治資金規正法違反に問われた首相の元公設第１秘書・勝場啓二被告に対し、東京地裁は禁固２年、執行猶予３年の判決を言い渡した。

The court concluded that Yuai Seikei Konwa-kai's political funding reports falsely declared contributions totaling 400 million yen from individuals through such means as using the names of people who never made such donations, including the deceased.
　政治資金収支報告書に、故人を含め実際は献金していない人の名前を使うなどして総額４億円の嘘(うそ)を書いた――。

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What was the money for?

Katsuba bears serious responsibility for a crime committed to conceal a massive amount of money from public scrutiny by lying about where it came from. The prime minister's responsibility is no less grave in that he failed to realize a crime was being committed.
資金の出どころを偽装して、国民の監視から覆い隠した刑事責任は重大である。それを漫然と見過ごしていた首相の責任も極めて大きい。

The conclusion of Katsuba's trial does not mean the case is closed with respect to Hatoyama's own responsibility.
　元秘書の裁判は終結しても、首相本人の責任論まで一件落着とはいくまい。

Hatoyama received a total of 1.25 billion yen from his mother. However, he continues to say, "I knew nothing [about my mother's financial assistance]." At the end of last year, the prime minister paid about 600 million yen in gift tax, apparently trying to put the scandal behind him.
　鳩山首相は、母親から１２億５０００万円もの資金提供を受けていた。「知らなかった」と強弁し、昨年末に約６億円の贈与税を納付して幕引きを図ろうとした。

Hatoyama's response aroused speculation that he would not have paid the gift tax had it not been for the scandal, even prompting some people to say, "It's ridiculous to pay taxes." Such a comment is not surprising.
　国民からは「発覚しなければ納税もしなかったろう。税金を払うのがばかばかしくなる」という声が上がった。当然の反応だ。

Nothing is known about the purpose for which more than 700 million yen from the money in question has been used. The prime minister repeatedly said: "I left everything [related to his political funding] to my secretary. I know nothing about it."
　このうちの７億円余の使途も明らかになっていない。首相は「秘書に任せていた。わからない」を繰り返した。

However, this did little to lessen the anger of the public and the opposition camp. In December, Hatoyama said, "I'll explain every fact to the public after prosecutors have finished uncovering the truth behind the case."
それでも、世論の批判や野党の追及に、１２月には「検察の解明が終わった段階で、知りうる事実をすべて国民の皆さんに説明したい」と述べた。

In March, Hatoyama also mentioned the specific measures he would take to explain the pertinent facts to the public: "I'll ask [prosecutors] to return the documents [submitted to them] after the trial is concluded, and show them to the public."
　先月には「裁判が終わった暁には（検察に）書類の返還を求め、皆様方に見ていただきたい」と具体的な説明方法にも言及した。

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Prime minister backtracks

During a one-on-one debate with opposition leaders on Wednesday, however, Hatoyama reneged on this promise, saying, "There is no need to disclose such documents." Many people may have been angered--rather than just surprised--by the prime minister's apparent change of heart.
　しかし一昨日の党首討論では一転、「資料を出す必要はない」と答弁を翻した。これには驚きを通り越して、怒りを覚えた国民も多かったのではないか。

Did Hatoyama lie when he promised to release the documents? The prime minister should immediately start an investigation into the money received from his mother and take every possible means to disclose what the huge amount of funds were used for.
　前言はすべて嘘だったのか。首相はただちに調査を開始して、巨額資金の使途を可能な限り国民の前で明らかにすべきだ。

The prime minister's obtuse attitude has greatly undermined the public's image of the Democratic Party of Japan.
　首相の責任逃れの姿勢は、民主党に対する国民のイメージを大きく損ねている。

This has been exacerbated by DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa's failure to provide the facts behind the alleged accounting irregularities involving his political funding body's purchase of land worth 400 million yen. Chiyomi Kobayashi, a House of Representatives member of the ruling party, has also evaded questions raised about the scandal involving funds allegedly received illegally by her election office from the Hokkaido Teachers' Union during her campaign for last year's lower house election.
　４億円の土地購入事件に関しての小沢幹事長や、北海道教職員組合から違法な選挙資金を受けていた小林千代美衆院議員も説明責任を果たしていない。

Inquest-of-prosecution committees will soon pass judgment on the propriety of earlier decisions by prosecutors not to indict Hatoyama and Ozawa over their respective money scandals. If the panels rule against both decisions, it means prosecutors must conduct fresh investigations into these cases. If that happens, the public will become even harsher in its criticism of the DPJ lawmakers.
　首相と小沢氏に関しては、検察の不起訴処分の当否について、近く検察審査会で議決が出る見通しだ。結果によっては、検察は再捜査を迫られる。国民の追及の目も厳しさを増すだろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun,April 23, 2010)
（2010年4月23日01時26分 読売新聞）