Ken Harada (politician)
Ken Harada 原田憲 (February 12, 1919 – January 29, 1997) was a member of the Diet of Japan from the Liberal Democratic Party[1] until resigning his office on January 24, 1989[2] following alleged involvement in the Recruit scandal, where Harada admitted Recruit had given him donations, in the form of seasonal summer gifts,[3] for ten years.[4] While the donations were not illegal, they raised questions of political ethics which eventually led Harada to resign.[3] As a member of the Diet, Harada served as Minister of Economic Planning, and earned the close trust of Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita.[5] He was the third minister to resign over the scandal.[2] Harada had been appointed to direct the Ministry of Economic Planning only one month before his resignation.[6][7] after party officials had already placed him as the chair of a committee in charge of investigating the Recruit stock scandal,[8] where he had concluded that nothing illegal had taken place.[9] In 1992, Harada backed Keizō Obuchi as new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party.[10] Koichiro Aino replaced Harada as Minister of Economic Planning.[3]
Notes
References
- Associated Press (26 January 1989). "Takeshita: He'll stay, seek trust". The Register-Guard (Guard). Retrieved 14 September 2009.
- Associated Press (24 January 1989). "3rd Japan official resigns in stock scandal". Deseret News. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
- Chira, Susan (25 January 1989). "Scandal Fells Another Japanese Official". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
- Hartcher, Peter (25 January 1989). "Recruit scandal claims senior Cabinet Minister". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
- Hayes, Louis (2004). Introduction to Japanese Politics (illustrated ed.). M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 0-7656-1338-7. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
- Hoshii, Iwao (1993). Japan's Pseudo-Democracy. Routledge. ISBN 1-873410-07-7. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
- "Japan stock scandal: Third cabinet minister resigns". The Gainesville Sun (The New York Times Company). 25 January 1989. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
- Schoenberger, Karl (1 January 1989). "Fund-raising ethics". Manila Standard. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
- United Press International (13 February 1989). "More arrests made in stock scandal". Ellensburg Daily Record. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
- Vilaró, Ramón (25 January 1989). "El escándalo de Recruit se cobra otro ministro japonés: Dimite el titular de Planificación Económica". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 September 2009.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Eiichi Nakao |
Head of the Economic Planning Agency 1988-1989 |
Succeeded by Koichiro Aino |
| Preceded by Chuji Kuno |
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications 1973-1974 |
Succeeded by Toshio Kashima |
| Preceded by Yasuhiro Nakasone |
Minister of Transport 1968-1970 |
Succeeded by Tomisaburo Hashimoto |