Japan's ruling party turns heat on opposition over Livedoor e-mail fiasco

0 Comments | AFP, February, 2006

TOKYO (AFP) — Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party went on the offensive against opposition allegations that a son of the LDP chief had received secret campaign cash from the founder of scandal-hit Internet firm Livedoor.

In a statement in parliament on February 16, Democractic Party of Japan lawmaker Hisayasu Nagata claimed that Livedoor founder Takafumi Horie sent an e-mail instructing a 30 million yen (256,000-dollar) payment to a son of LDP secretary general Tsutomu Takebe.

Arguing the e-mail was "almost certainly fake," LDP deputy secretary general Ichiro Aisawa told public broadcaster NHK on Sunday that the opposition now "has quite heavy political responsibility".

The junior Takebe was suffering "tremendous mental, physical and economic damage"...