Miki firm in face of political storm

Press, 25 August 1976, Page 8

Miki firm in face of political storm

jNZPA Tokyo Japan’s ruling party is facing the worst crisis in its 20-year history with two-thirds of its deputies in Parliament demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister (Mr Miki).

A meeting of 277 of the 393 i i deputies of the Liberal Demo-I I cratic Party scheduled a (caucus at 2 p.m. (5 p.m. N.Z. ( I time) yesterday to pass a I | resolution demanding the ; Prime Minister’s resignation. The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Takeo Fukuda) and the Finance Minister (Mr Masayoshi Ohira), two rivals for Mr Miki’s post, were due to call on him at 5.30 p.m. in another effort to persuade him to quit.

Mr Miki has angered leaders of Japan’s business community and many members of his party by insisting on a thorough investigation of charges that the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation secretly spent more than SI2M to promote aircraft sales in | Japan. The probe has led to ar- 1 , rests of 18 businessmen and; politicians, including the for-1 mer Prime Minister (Mr Kakuei Tanaka), who was in-1

dieted on a charge of accept-I ing Lockheed money. It appeared unlikely Mr Miki would bow to demands' for his resignation.

Mr Miki has insisted he should stay in office, complete the Lockheed investigation, and tead the party through a Genera! Election due this year. “To the extent that Prime Minister Miki is unwilling to resign, it will be impossible to deal with the disorder in the political situation,” Mr Fukuda said on Monday. Mr Fukuda and Mr Ohira, long aspiring for the Prime Ministership, buried their rivalry and held a joint news conference on Monday calling on Mr Miki to resign.

The caucus vote would be a resolution of censure but Mr Miki’s supporters insist it would not be legally binding.

NZPA-Reuter said a senior member of the ruling party

delivered a slashing personal attack against Mr Miki at the special party caucus yesterday afternoon.

The former preident of the lower house of the Diet (Mr Naka Funada) accused the absent Prime Minister of having lost the confidence of a majority of the members of his own party. He called for the resignation of Mr Miki and other members of the party executive.

However, the caucus recessed after only 15 minutes, and was due to meet again last evening. The meeting adopted a resolution calling for unity and reform of the party before a special Diet session is called.

About 15 of the 21 members of the Miki Cabinet were reported to have attended the caucus, recessed until a meeting is held between the Prime Minister and Mr Fukuda and Mr Ohira.