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Journalist admits to having provided fake e-mail to DPJ lawmaker+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, March 31_(Kyodo) _ A freelance journalist has admitted to having provided a fake e-mail message to lawmaker Hisayasu Nagata used to make accusations of a payoff against a top governing coalition legislator, a senior official of the Democratic Party of Japan said early Friday. Takashi Nishizawa, an executive at publishing house Dumont, acknowledged supplying such a message to Nagata when he was questioned by a third-party team of lawyers, created at the request of the main opposition party, the DPJ official said. The questioning took place around Monday, the official said, and Nishizawa categorically denied he had received money from any DPJ lawmaker in return for the e-mail message. Nishizawa also told the investigative team that he had offered the fake message to other persons before giving it to Nagata, according to the DPJ official. Nishizawa's responses to the investigative team's questions will be incorporated into a report to be compiled by the team, aside from the DPJ's report on in-house investigations, the official said. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives Disciplinary Committee decided to summon Nishizawa as a sworn witness next Tuesday over the fake e-mail message. The message suggested a potential money link between Tsutomu Takebe, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, and former Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie. A sworn witness giving false Diet testimony is subject to perjury charges, and refusal to appear without good reason is punishable with imprisonment of up to one year. |