Prime Minister Naoto Kan should make every effort to persuade Democratic Party of Japan bigwig Ichiro Ozawa, who is facing indictment over alleged political funding improprieties, to give sworn testimony before the Diet, Liberal Democratic Party leader Sadakazu Tanigaki said Wednesday.

Tanigaki also called for Public Prosecutor General Hiroshi Obayashi and Toru Suzuki, assistant public prosecutor at the Naha office, to appear as sworn witnesses over their role in the decision to release a Chinese fishing boat skipper last month.

Tanigaki noted the seriousness of the independent judicial panel's decision for the second time Monday to indict Ozawa. "There is an obligation to settle the matter in a manner convincing to the public," he said.