Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, during his first one-on-one debate against opposition party leaders, was forced Wednesday to fend off criticism over the money scandals dogging his administration.
Liberal Democratic Party President Sadakazu Tanigaki grilled Hatoyama over his receipt of huge sums from his mother, the heiress to the Bridgestone tire empire, and allegations that Democratic Party of Japan kingpin Ichiro Ozawa's fund body violated the Political Funds Control Law.
"You've been dubbed the king of tax evasion in the Heisei Era — and that's making the public feel foolish about paying their own taxes," Tanigaki charged. "It's tragicomic that you're the one ultimately responsible for collecting taxes."