How hard Japan's mighty have fallen

The Daily Yomiuri, Asia News Network, Tokyo

Koichi Kato, former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), tendered his letter resignation as a Diet member Monday to the speaker of the House of Representatives, taking responsibility for both a tax evasion scandal involving his former top aide and his alleged personal use of political funds.

Kato was once called the lawmaker with the best chance of becoming prime minister. In the last 10 years, he had always been a mainstay of the LDP, exerting great influence in Japanese politics. He then should be held to a higher standard of responsibility than other politicians for aggravating public distrust of politics.

He had earlier seemed to make clear that he would never quit the Diet. Now that he has decided to quit as a legislator, we wonder if he has come to understand his grave responsibility.

Yet to resign as a Diet member and to clarify his involvement in the scandal are two separate matters.

Kato has repeatedly said, "I would like to assume my accountability at a public venue."

Yet his explanations, given as an unsworn witness before the lower house Budget Committee, were far from convincing. In particular need of clarification is the suspicion that he used political funds for private purposes.

During his unsworn testimony at the lower house committee, he was questioned over the allegation that some of his political funds went to pay rent on his condominium in Tokyo.

Any politician does some work at home. Yet nobody would file their income tax return as if the purchase of their own house or payment of their own rent were a tax-deductible business expense.

Kato is seriously lacking in his sense of where to draw the line between public and private matters.

Also troubling is Kato's lack of clarity on such matters as the use of his annual government allowance as a Diet member and the accumulation of his personal assets.

Kato has said, "There have been basically no changes in my private assets (during the period in question)."

Kato also said, "I would like to clarify this matter by cooperating with the investigative authorities," while at the same time declining to make further explanations.

The allegations may also implicate Kato in violations of the Political Funds Control Law and the Income Tax Law.

During the lower house Budget Committee session, Michihiko Kano, former vice president of the main opposition party Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), also appeared as an unsworn witness over his connection with his former secretary, who was indicted on charges of bribing several individuals over public works projects.

Both Kato and Kano were once considered men of influence and "standard-bearers of reform" within their respective parties.

Yet both failed to mind their own footing.