Reds

One of the interesting little bits of information to emerge out of the flood of leaks from investigation into the financial dealings of the Rikuzankai, Democratic Party of Japan Secretary-General Ozawa Ichiro's political fundraising organization, was a notation in one of the day planners of one of his secretaries:

"Brought 400 million yen to Ozawa's home. Put it in the tatami room."

Ozawa Ichiro is the kind of person who has 400 million yen...in cash...in his tatami room. I hope he at least has the SECOM people working for him.

Then again, such a familiarity with money is rampant in the upper reaches of the DPJ. Foreign Minister Okada Katsuya's progenitors founded the AEON supermarket chain. Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio is an heir to the Bridgestone Tire fortune. When the investigation into his political funding organization called into question the deposits his mother, the daughter of the founder of Bridgestone, had made into the organization's accounts, Hatoyama agreed to pay back taxes on the donated amount...600 million yen in back taxes.

The Achilles heel of this administration has been the revelation of possible violations of campaign financing laws, laws which were designed to prevent the votes of Diet members from being bought by interest groups. Ironic, seeing as how nobody possibly could have near enough money to buy any of these guys.

As a bonus, could please explain to me -- in simple terms, so I can understand -- how anyone could have gotten away with labeling the DPJ a gang of "share the wealth" socialists?