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-General Koichi Hagiuda said on a television debate program that “we have not been able to confirm that the results of the (budget) allocations to individual projects were changed as a result of Yana’s words or actions.” “It is not a system that allows one lawmaker to raise or lower the budget of a local government,” Hagiuda said. He apologized for the fact that Yana’s remark about budget cuts had led to his replacement as agriculture minister and called on Yana to properly explain what he did. “Budget allocations must not be arbitrarily influenced,” Hagiuda said. He added that any suspicions about budget allocations must be thoroughly investigated, leaving open the possibility of examining whether funds are being allocated appropriately. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
