Slamming Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama as "the king of tax evasion in the Heisei Era," the opposition camp Friday continued to attack the ruling Democratic Party of Japan over its recent political funds scandals.
"It is not right that (Hatoyama) is in the prime minister's seat," Liberal Democratic Party veteran Kaoru Yosano said during an intensive session of the Lower House Budget Committee. The LDP lawmaker pushed for the prime minister to step down, pointing to Hatoyama's recent political funds mismanagement that included an unregistered ¥1.2 billion in donations from his tycoon heiress mother, Yasuko.
"If the same act were taken by a private person, they'd be looking at a year, maybe a couple of years, behind bars," said Yosano, a former finance minister, adding that Hatoyama's deferred payment of gift tax over the shady donation does not clear him of tax evasion accusations.