National News

Ozawa ducks charge, Ishikawa indicted

Prosecutors indicted Feb. 4 lawmaker Tomohiro Ishikawa, a former secretary to Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa on a charge of violating the Political Funds Control Law, but Ozawa avoided indictment even though Ishikawa had previously implicated the party kingpin.

Tokyo prosecutors quizzed Ozawa twice after receiving a formal criminal complaint from a civic group urging them to indict him for allegedly conspiring with his aides.

Ishikawa, 36, a House of Representatives member, was arrested last month on suspicion of failing to report 400 million yen in Ozawa's political fund management body's 2004 report in connection with its purchase of land in Tokyo that year.

Two others arrested over the case, Mitsutomo Ikeda, 32, who succeeded Ishikawa as secretary, and Takanori Okubo, 48, Ozawa's current state-paid secretary, were also indicted on the day. (Kyodo News)

Shukan ST: February 12, 2010

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