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*Aso reprimands secretary over referral on university admission*
*TOKYO*, Feb. 20 KYODO
*Prime Minister Taro Aso* said Friday he has reprimanded one of his
secretaries who tried to arrange a meeting between a former deputy education
minister and a dentist because the dentist's son was hoping to enter medical
school.
Such an action ''could raise public suspicion,'' Aso said during a
House of Representatives Budget Committee session in response to questions
from Atsushi Oshima of the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition
party.
But Aso added he has been told that no favors or money were exchanged
between the secretary and the former bureaucrat.
The revelation of what could be another problem for Aso's Cabinet
prompted the opposition parties to question the prime minister during Diet
deliberations.
DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama told reporters, ''The issue must
be clarified and pursued in parliament as it concerns Prime Minister Aso as
well.''
Ichiro Muramatsu has admitted he gave the dentist in Tokyo a referral
to the former deputy minister, who he has known for more than 20 years since
the time Aso was appointed parliamentary vice minister of the Education
Ministry, predecessor of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology Ministry.
But Muramatsu said, ''I never received a reward. I only asked (the
deputy minister) to provide consultation for career guidance.''
Muramatsu said he sent a letter to the former deputy minister with the
name of the dentist requesting that the bureaucrat make arrangements over
the matter.
The former deputy minister, who retired from the ministry in 1997,
responded, ''Okay, although I don't know how much I can be of help,'' he
said.
In the end, however, the dentist did not have any contact with the
former deputy minister. Muramatsu said he was later notified that the son
passed entrance examinations for several universities.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said in a news conference Friday
that he confirmed there was no monetary compensation in connection with the
matter, after meeting with Muramatsu earlier in the day.
The former deputy minister ''did not have authority (over admission)
and there was no helping of admission to a university or transfer of
money,'' Kawamura said.
==Kyodo
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