Tokyo, January 17: Secretary General of Japan’s Democratic Party (DPJ) Ichiro Ozawa has refused to resign over a scandal involving his party’s fundraising.
“I will stay on to fulfill my given duty, and squarely fight against such an exercise of power [by prosecutors],” Ozawa said.
“Our funds have nothing to do with money that is illegal,” he added.
Three members of the Ozawa’s DPJ were arrested on Friday as prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for Ozawa.
The arrests came two days after a special investigation unit from the Tokyo district prosecutors raided offices related to Ozawa.
Accounting discrepancies at a political funding group arranged by Ozawa was the reason behind the arrests.
Investigators are also examining a separate funding scandal involving Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
——-Agencies