Mild says Lockheed story Mill be told

Press, 18 September 1976, Page 7

Mild says Lockheed story Mill be told

NZPA-Reuter Tokyo The Japanese Prime Minister (Mr Takeo Miki) has promised to unravel the full truth about Lockheed pay-offs iin Japan during the special sitting of the Diet (Parliament) which began yesterday.

Mr Miki said an interim report would be issued if investigations were not finished before the General Election that must be held by December 9. The former Prime Minister, Mr Kakuei Tanaka, and 14 other people have been charged in connection with the scandal, in which Lockheed paid millions of dollars to push sales of its aircraft in Japan.

Mr Miki blamed the strife in his ruling Liberal-De-mocratic Party partly on the consequences of the Lockheed affair. I “It is due to various reaI sons, such as my short- ' comings, factional sentii ments, and the impact of the i Lockheed scandal,” he told a press conference. But he said he hoped the ! reshuffle on Wednesday of |the Cabinet and L.D.P. ‘ executives would give the ‘party a fresh start, and indicated that he still hoped to lead the party in the elections. The Prime Minister said that to achieve moderate economic growth without inflation, he had retained his chief Cabinet rivals — his deputy, Mr Takeo Fukuda, and the Finance Minister (Mr Masayoshi Ohira) — and also the Trade Minister (Mr Toshio Komoto). Mr Fukuda and Mr Ohira have been loudest in calling |for his resignation. ! The Japanese Foreign Min- ■ istry said its new' head iwould not change Japan’s [foreign policy. Mr Zentaro I Kosaka replaced Mr Kiichi I Miyazawa as Foreign Minister in the reshuffle.

The chief Foreign Ministry j spokesman, Mr Kensuke [Yanagiya, told a regular [news briefing that Mr Kojsaka supported his prejdecessors’ efforts to obtain j the return of four Soviet 1 held-isiands off northern [Japan.

The Soviet Union took over the islands at the end of World War Two. Tokyo has refused to sign a peace treaty formally ending the war until the islands — known in Japan as the “northern territories” — are returned.