A former Pentagon official denied Thursday having dined with any of the people named by disgraced former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya in his testimony about his dealings with an arrested defense equipment trader who entertained him in the past.
In sworn testimony Thursday in the Diet, Moriya said ex-Defense Agency chiefs Fumio Kyuma and Fukushiro Nukaga were present at the dinner, along with the Pentagon official, James Auer.
"I know Mr. Kyuma, I know Mr. Nukaga. . . . But as far as I know, I have never had breakfast, lunch or dinner with them," Auer said in a telephone interview.
Auer served as chief of the Pentagon section on Japan from 1979 to 1988. He is currently director of the Center for U.S.-Japan Studies and Cooperation at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.
While admitting he knew the arrested trader, Motonobu Miyazaki, and many other businessmen, Auer said he never made any recommendations about Japan's selection of U.S.-made defense equipment.
"The only thing we have ever talked about is the policy of U.S.-Japan defense cooperation," he said.
Auer said he met Moriya while he was the top administrative defense official. "I met him at his office, and had very professional discussions with him," Auer said.
Miyazaki was arrested last week on suspicion of embezzling some ¥117 million from Yamada Corp. through its U.S. subsidiary, Yamada International Corp., and also of allegedly compiling huge slush funds through the subsidiary to entertain Moriya and other ministry officials.
Miyazaki has admitted Nukaga and Kyuma were present when he entertained Moriya, sources said Friday.
But both Nukaga and Kyuma claimed they have no recollections of the event.