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Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Sunday demanded Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara explain his receipt of an illegal donation from a foreign resident in Japan. Kan told reporters that Maehara "should look into the matter and explain it thoroughly." Avoiding the question as to how he will deal with the growing calls from opposition parties for Maehara to resign as foreign minister, the premier voiced hope that Maehara manages to justify his action, it may help tide him over. Maehara admitted Friday at a meeting of the upper house budget committee that he received a 50,000 yen donation (610 U.S. dollars) from a female South Korean resident of Yamashina Ward, Kyoto Prefecture, but the Political Funds Control Law prohibits politicians from accepting donations from foreigners or foreign entities. According to the Political Funds Regulation Division of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, the main reason for the prohibition is to prevent Japanese politics and elections from being influenced by foreign people, organizations or governments. The foreign minister expressed his intention Saturday to remain in his post despite calls from opposition parties for him to leave Kan's cabinet. ??"Whatever conclusion I draw, there needs to be a process by which I report to Prime Minister Naoto Kan and face his judgment," Maehara was quoted as saying at a press conference in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. |
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