Japan's opposition plans walkout

Japan's Mori addresses parliament during the opening of the current session

In this story: Public assurance Out of luck RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Staff and wire reports

TOKYO, Japan -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori is expected to get a rough ride in parliament Monday.

Japan's political opposition is threatening to boycott a scheduled Lower House debate on the budget unless government ties to a business group are explained.

The group wants several politicians from Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to testify about their ties to business foundation KSD, which is suspected of handing out huge bribes.

KSD is a mutual aid foundation for the owners of small- and medium-sized industrial businesses.

The scandal has already claimed one minister -- Fukushiro Nukaga, who stepped down as Mori's state minister in charge of economic policy last month. Several other members of the LDP are also under attack for their links to the business group.

Public assurance

The show of dissent is upsetting the government's plan to use the latest session of parliament to reassure the public that it is in control, ahead of Upper House elections scheduled for July.

Mori has already apologized once for the scandal, when parliament opened its current session last week. But opposition lawmakers say they aren't satisfied with what they've seen so far.

"We must have testimony by witness in parliament before we discuss the budget," Hirohisa Fujii, secretary-general of the Liberal Party told NHK television.

Democratic Party secretary-general Naoto Kan echoed that call, saying he would press Mori to step down.

"The Mori government is not good for Japan, and therefore we want him to leave office as soon as possible," Kan said.

Out of luck

Even the prime minister's political allies admit Mori is running out of options, but say there is no need for him to resign.

"The scandal has placed the prime minister in a situation in which he could have to apologize (to voters) by kneeling down or getting on all fours," said Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, secretary-general of LDP coalition partner, the New Komeito party.

"I will not go as far as to urge him to resign, but I wish he had shown his regret in any other way than reading from his prepared text," he said.

In addition to attacking the KSD scandals, the opposition wants to press Mori to take responsibility for a scandal involving a senior diplomat, who is suspected of embezzling funds to finance his lifestyle.

A Foreign Ministry report last month said the diplomat, Katsutoshi Matsuo, diverted at least $4.84 million into his own bank account. Of that amount, more than half remains unaccounted for.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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