Japanese newspapers are awash with scandals over bidding for public works projects. Japan's construction industry, which accounts for more than 10 percent of the nation's employed workers, is the world's largest. It is unconscionable that this important industry has become a hotbed of collusion among politicians, bureaucrats and business executives.
In a major scandal still fresh in memory, former Construction Minister Eiichi Nakao was arrested by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office in June 2000 for taking a 60 million yen payoff from a construction company in exchange for favors. Since early this year, there have been a spate of scandals in which aides to lawmakers have been accused of tampering with bids for projects.
Saburo Sato, ex-aide to former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Koichi Kato, and Mitsuro Ozaki, ex-secretary to former Democratic Party of Japan deputy leader Michihiko Kano, were recently arrested by prosecutors. Kato and Kano later had to leave their parties. The governor of Tokushima Prefecture and the mayor of Shimotsuma, Ibaraki Prefecture, were arrested for taking bribes from Ozaki.