The Tokyo No. 5 Prosecution Inquest Committee, a panel of 11 citizens, decided unanimously Tuesday that Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa should be indicted for his fund management body's alleged false reporting of political funds from 2004 to 2007.
Just the day before, another Tokyo judicial review panel had supported the prosecution's decision not to indict Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama over a similar case involving political funds reports from 2004 to 2008. The panel's decision came despite some panel members questioning Mr. Hatoyama's contention that he knew nothing about the more than ¥1.2 billion provided by his mother from 2002 to 2009 to fund his political activities.
Tuesday's development is damaging to Mr. Ozawa and the DPJ and, to some extent, to Mr. Hatoyama. People's suspicions about Mr. Ozawa and Mr. Hatoyama will deepen unless both men explain their cases in detail. Inaction on either man's part could cost the DPJ dearly in the coming Upper House election.