A regular Diet session started Monday — less than a week after the chief secretary and two former secretaries of Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, the secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, were arrested. The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's special investigation squad arrested the three on suspicion of falsifying official records of Rikuzankai, Mr. Ozawa's political funds management organization, in connection with the receipt of ¥400 million and the purchase of land in 2004.
The arrests have plunged the Hatoyama administration and the DPJ into the biggest crisis since the DPJ-led administration came to power four months ago. In fact, the latest survey by Kyodo News shows that for the first time since its inauguration, the Cabinet's approval rating (41.5 percent) is lower than its disapproval rating (44.1 percent).
Opposition forces are set to launch a strong offensive in the Diet over the suspected violation of the Political Funds Control Law by Mr. Ozawa's staffers. Debate in the Diet over this matter could stall discussions on important issues such as the second fiscal 2009 supplementary budget and the fiscal 2010 budget, measures to stabilize employment, and the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Island. Given the economic downturn, such distractions could deepen people's concerns about their livelihood. Depending on how events develop, people could lose trust in the Hatoyama administration and the DPJ.