Japanese foreign minister Maehara resigns amid donation flap By Chico Harlan

 TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara resigned Sunday after receiving an illegal donation from a foreigner, dealing another blow to Prime Minister Naoto Kan's faltering ruling party.

Feb. 11, 2011, Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara attends a news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. Maehara officially announced his resignation in Tokyo Sunday, March 6, 2011 over his receipt of an illegal donation from a South Korean resident in Japan. (Mikhail Metzel - AP Photo)

 

 

 At a televised press conference, Maehara, 48, apologized to the Japanese people for "provoking distrust over a problem with my political funding - although I have sought to pursue a clean style of politics."  

 Maehara's surprise resignation, coming just two days after he acknowledged receiving illegal donations from a South Korean living in Japan, amplifies the problems Japan faces both domestically and with its closest allies. The hawkish Maehara was popular among Obama administration officials, who viewed him as an advocate for the countries' shared security interest in Asia. Maehara, too, was often described by political analysts as a prime minister-in-waiting and this scandal sidetracks, at least briefly, the aspirations of one of Japan's most prominent leaders.

 According to reports in the Japanese media, Maehara had received a total of 200,000 yen ($2,429) from a 72-year-old South Korean woman. The donor happens to live in Japan; she speaks the language and runs a restaurant in Kyoto. And she's known Maehara since childhood. But in an effort to prevent outside influence, Japanese law bans politicians from receiving donations from foreign nationals.

 Maehara said he did not knowingly violate the law. Even so, Maehara faced the possibility of a fine or a prison sentence, causing opposition lawmakers to pounce, calling during Sunday morning talk shows for the foreign minister to either take responsibility for his actions or step down.

 A foreign ministry spokesman said by e-mail that Maehara notified Kan before his resignation.

 As it tries to deal with economic stagnation and a towering pile of debt, Japan's government has had a hard time finding leaders who can survive long-term in office. None of Japan's previous four prime ministers lasted more than a year on the job. The current leader, Kan, has recently seen his approval rating drop near 20-percent, and his party's inability to push bills through a twisted parliament could further erode his credibility.

 Already, Japan's opposition politicians are urging Kan to either resign or call for a snap election.

 Even the ruling Democratic Party of Japan is being threatened by vicious in-fighting. Early last week, 16 party members refused to show up for a voting session for the upcoming budget. The bloc of parliamentarians remains loyal to former DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa, a scandal-tainted heavyweight from whom Kan has tried to distance himself.

 U.S. officials have privately bemoaned the lack of continuity in Tokyo, and the merry-go-round leadership has further undermined efforts to finalize a plan for the relocation of a controversial Marine base in Okinawa. Maehara, who became foreign minister in September, had urged for the base to be relocated to a less populated part of Okinawa - as stated by a 2006 agreement between the two governments.

 Maehara also was the point man in Tokyo for the DPJ's efforts to deal with concerns over North Korea and an increased militarized China. Maehara discussed both issues during a January meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It was Maehara's fourth meeting with Clinton in four months on the job.

 Maehara at the time called 2011 "the inaugural year of the new Japan-US alliance."

 "The roles of our two countries will not diminish in any way in the days ahead," he said. "In fact, in view of the urgent need to develop institutional foundations in the region today, expectations are only rising that we play even greater roles, and I feel the responsibilities on our shoulders are very great."

©washingtonpost.com

Yasukuni, the War Dead and the Struggle for Japan's Past Books By John Breen: A manual in English on Yasukuni, the controversial Shinto shrine in the heart of Tokyo, dedicated to the Japanese war dead. It carries multiple Chinese perspectives and also contributions from Western commmentators who offer their own insights on the shrine and its place in post war Japanese diplomacy, ideology and history.
Release Date: 13 March 2008