Great East Japan Earthquake election
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2025 9:54 am
The shutdown of the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant was not the only factor that turned the situation around. There were also problems on Ozawa's side. In the trial where three of Ozawa's former secretaries were indicted for making false statements, Kawamura Hisashi, former president of Mizutani Construction, testified that he had given 100 million yen in slush funds to Ozawa's side. On May 10, Yamamoto Jun, president of Nippon Explosive Engineering, also testified that he was present when the slush funds were handed over, once again bringing Ozawa's "politics and money" issue into the spotlight. Yamamoto vividly testified that on the Shinkansen train after handing over the slush funds, Kawamura had said, "It's like tax money."
In response, the three former secretaries maintained their remove background image innocence at the trial and testified that "Mr. Ozawa had nothing to do with the false statement case." Mr. Ozawa is said to be planning countermeasures for the two trials by appointing former Tokyo High Public Prosecutor's Office Chief Prosecutor, lawyer Mamoru Norikado, as his "de facto advisor" (legal professional), but the environment surrounding Mr. Ozawa both in politics and in the trial is becoming increasingly harsh.
This file was a memo that Atsuaki Gunji, the head of the biological products division at the time of the drug damage incident, had compiled privately. The file was not numbered and was clearly not an official document. At the time of its discovery, Vice-Minister Hiroshi Tada and Chief Cabinet Secretary Takehiko Yamaguchi (who died in the 2008 serial attack on the home of the former Vice-Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare) felt that the documents needed to be analyzed and went to report to the newly appointed Minister Suga to bring them to a Cabinet meeting.
In response, the three former secretaries maintained their remove background image innocence at the trial and testified that "Mr. Ozawa had nothing to do with the false statement case." Mr. Ozawa is said to be planning countermeasures for the two trials by appointing former Tokyo High Public Prosecutor's Office Chief Prosecutor, lawyer Mamoru Norikado, as his "de facto advisor" (legal professional), but the environment surrounding Mr. Ozawa both in politics and in the trial is becoming increasingly harsh.
This file was a memo that Atsuaki Gunji, the head of the biological products division at the time of the drug damage incident, had compiled privately. The file was not numbered and was clearly not an official document. At the time of its discovery, Vice-Minister Hiroshi Tada and Chief Cabinet Secretary Takehiko Yamaguchi (who died in the 2008 serial attack on the home of the former Vice-Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare) felt that the documents needed to be analyzed and went to report to the newly appointed Minister Suga to bring them to a Cabinet meeting.