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Livedoor's link with LDP Takebe's son credible: DPJ chief+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, Feb. 19_(Kyodo) _ Seiji Maehara, the leader the Democratic Party of Japan, on Sunday reiterated the credibility of an e-mail that the DPJ alleges was sent by Livedoor Co. founder Takafumi Horie ordering a 30 million yen payment to the younger son of the secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The DJP alleges Horie, in an e-mail dated Aug. 26, 2005, ordered the payment to LDP Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe's son. "We have confidence" in the credibility of the e-mail, Maehara said on a Fuji TV program. A copy of the purported e-mail released by the DPJ contains several blacked-out passages, including the name of the sender and the recipient. It was signed "Horie," with one character before the name also blacked out. Maehara urged that the Diet carry out its own investigations into the allegation, which has flatly been rejected by the ruling party. "We have obtained information concerning a financial institution," Maehara said. Horie, who was indicted on Feb. 13 on charges of securities law violations, denied Friday through his lawyer that he ever sent out such an e-mail nor did he order a payment to Takebe's son. Maehara said it is difficult to accept Horie's denial at face value. "It is kind of funny to believe" the denial, only because Horie said he did not do so, Maehara said, noting that he has been tight-lipped during prosecutors questioning since his arrest on Jan. 13. Toranosuke Katayama, LDP secretary general in the House of Councillors, said on the same TV program it would be difficult for the Diet to investigate the allegation as the DPJ has not provided enough evidence to back up whether the e-mail was actually sent from someone linked with Livedoor. The DPJ disclosed a copy of the purported e-mail on Friday, a day after the allegation was raised by DPJ lawmaker Yasuhisa Nagata at a session of the House of Representatives Budget Committee. |