蒿子粑粑:Japan foreign minister says won't quit, but Kan's future...

来源：百度文库编辑：九乡新闻网时间：2024/05/03 12:30:32

Japan foreign minister says won't quit, but Kan's future...

kan-2.jpg (44.4 KB)
2011-3-6 10:18

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara is seeking to keep his job after acknowledging receipt of an illegal campaign donation from a foreign national.

Maehara said Saturday that his fate will ultimately be decided by Prime Minister Naoto Kan but that he wants to stay in office. Mr. Kan's political opponents and some officials within the ruling Democratic Party of Japan are criticizing Maehara's acceptance of the donation and say he should resign.

Japanese law prohibits foreign campaign donations to Japanese candidates. Maehara said Friday that his campaign took a $610 donation in 2008 from a Korean woman he has known for years who runs a barbecue restaurant in Kyoto.

Maehara said he did not know about the donation but took responsibility for it. He apologized for accepting it and said he would return the money.

kan.jpg (130.64 KB)
2011-3-6 10:18

Maehara's scandal would be a blow to unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his ruling Democratic Party (DPJ) as Kan fights to keep his own job and avoid calling a snap election while trying to enact budget bills in a divided parliament.

"It is important for me to perform my duties and give a clear explanation" of the donation scandal, Kyodo quoted Maehara as telling a news conference in southern Japan.

Maehara, a security hawk who is often cited as a possible successor to Kan should the premier resign, admitted on Friday that he had accepted donations from a Korean resident of Japan who was a childhood friend, but said he had done so unknowingly.

Taking political donations from foreign nationals is illegal if done intentionally.

The donation affair adds to a long list of troubles for Kan, whose support rate has sunk to around 20 percent due to policy flipflops and perceived diplomatic missteps since he took office last June as Japan's fifth premier since 2006.

kan-3.jpg (32.76 KB)
2011-3-6 10:18

Kan is under pressure either to resign or call an early poll as his clout in the fractious ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) weakens and opposition parties refuse to cooperate with him on pushing through budget bills in the divided parliament.

The stalemate is also preventing Kan from getting opposition help on tax reforms, including a future rise in the 5 percent sales tax, that he argues are vital to fund the costs of a fast-ageing society and curb public debt already twice the size of the $5 trillion (3.07 trillion pounds) economy.

Japan foreign minister says won't quit, but Kan's future... U.S. won't default on government debt: says B... Obama Says He Won’t Release Bin Laden Photos ... Kan's next choice resets Sino-Japan relations? Japan's nuke agency says radioactive water no... Why Syria's ruling elite won't yield easily Finance Minister Bill English says bigger NZ ... Chinese-made pump truck sent to aid Japan's t... British foreign secretary says no ground inva... As crisis and fear grows, Japanese still can't feel Kan's charisma Bend But Don't Break! China: Carrier Won't Alter Naval Strategy US firms doing well in China but worry on future Big earthquake inevitable in California but tsunami unlikely, says seismologist Don't Call Me, I Won't Call You French finance minister woos China's backing ... []French finance minister woos China's backing ... China's funds outstanding for foreign exchang... CPC's history through foreign lens CPC's history through foreign lens II U.S. Foreign Policy in the Asia kan Facebook Won't Become E-Commerce Force, Analy... 10 Gorgeous Pools You Won't Believe Are Public