Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has for now avoided the nightmare of losing a key aide and arguably the government's most powerful string-puller, now that Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa has dodged criminal charges over a shady land deal.
But opposition parties and critics alike say the case is far from over, with Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers indicating they aren't ready to back off.
"Although prosecutors couldn't find enough to find (Ozawa) guilty, his innocence hasn't been determined," LDP policy chief Shigeru Ishiba told reporters Wednesday.