Amari says it'll take him a week to explain graft allegation

Amari says it'll take him a week to explain graft allegation

No, it will take you a week to ensure that everyone gets their stories straight.

...he's leaving the country and his offices will be abuzz with shredders and money laundering...

So it boils down to:

I'm sure I did nothing wrong, but I'm sorry--even though I have no recollection what happened. I'm hoping that in a week, you too will have no recollection of what happened.

Can anyone who claims he's innocent sound so guilty?

It takes a week to gather the money, pay off the accusers the amount they initially demanded (but did not get and hence came forward), and everyone make sure their stories match. Then, suddenly, the foggy memories will lift, and the self-examination will prove that he was misunderstood and is innocent.

And how would he not be if the investigators found him as such?

I am terribly sorry that the magazine report is causing disturbance.

Who or what is he apologizing to, for and about here? It's a familiar ploy to express apologies while simultaneously obfuscating.

what I want to say clearly is that I have engaged in no conduct that would infringe on the law

= I think I covered my tracks well enough to leave no physical evidence. You got nuffink on me.

I believe that, at least regarding my own conduct, I will be able to confirm my memories and talk about it within a week

=It'll take me a week to persuade (gather the money to pay off) an aide to take the fall for me.

my memory is a little vague about what actually happened

=I walk about in a haze. I don't know what's going on around me. Dementia is setting in.

A political funding scandal with criminal implications

So why aren't the people with responsibility for criminal investigations, investigating this potentially criminal scandal? Never mind a press conference by the perp. How about a press conference by the police inspector in charge of this case?

The political ramifications of this scandal reach far behold Economics minister Akira Amari.

Magazine Shukan Bunshun has evidence amassed from a whistle-blower gathered over a prolonged period of time, and cuts into the legitimacy, by definition authority of Abe san LDP government, as much as the ludicrous notion a systems sphere of influence presumes a Senior Government Minster accused of serious deliberate or wanton violations into standards of conduct in Government can lead an inquiry or investigation into allegations they are accused of.

The confidence, validity, and quality into the whole process of information collection is unsound and flawed.

What truly astonishes is the ruling governments arrogance and contempt no only for the electorate but also the democratic rule of Government.

Isshiki reportedly provided the weekly with more than 50 hours of audio data and “a vast amount of materials” as evidence, including receipts from Amari’s office.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/01/21/national/politics-diplomacy/amari-vows-answer-claims-%C2%A512-million-undeclared-funds/#.VqLGxFJhiMk

Can he just do the right thing for once. Clinging on to his position this way is just embarrassing and taints the others in office who are serving with honor. A week to explain himself! Who is he fooling?

Nobody here by the looks of it.

It really is kind of jaw dropping. His memory is godd enough to remember that the company exec visited his office, but not quite good enough to remember whether or not he recieved a big pile of cash during that visit?

More likely thereality is that he knows there is enough evidence out there to prove that the exec visited his office, so he might as well admit that part, but he isn't sure what evidence about the actual handing over of the cash is either publicly available or likely to become publicly available and he needs a week to see if it is feasible for him to cover up any such evidence.

It takes 7 days to get the Yakuza to pressure the whistle blower into revoking his story that Amari was present, when the money was given. Then we'll have one of Amari's aides taking the blame for receiving the money and stating that Amari wasn't present or aware of the bribe. The aide pleads guilty in court and gets a suspended prison sentence and everything is back to hunky dory.

Seen this all before with others such as Ozawa and Obuchi.

Amari was such an idiot that he didn't have the common sense not to be present when the bribe was paid. AND HE IS IN CHARGE OFJAPAN'S ECONONY !!!!!!!!!!!!!

He can't remember receiving all that money? And it will take him a week to unravel his twisted memory? And he wants to continue in his vital post despite all these ... what do you call them ... forgetfullness ... bad memory ... lies?

After a week somebody within Jiminto will surely come up with an answer that will be accepted by the average Japanese as true.

He's probably received so much bribe money over the years that he can't remember which is which. "Just grease my palms" and continue business as usual ... as Amari continues on his merry way ...

that Amari would depart as scheduled early on Saturday for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

...to explain second stage of Abenomics (!) though he himself is in critical stage of resigning.

Selling public money to construction companies? LDP Fundraising 101, nothing more.

He needs to choose a song to explain it like he did with the My Number thing.

Incompetent politician ! Can't think of a fib quicker than that ?

A week to concoct a story with his cronies more like.

let me write a story

Whee does the incumbent government go from here?

They should put a tail on him, and tap his phone for the next week

And another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust. Love it!

He is not clinging to his position.

He hasn't resigned yet though, has he?

When he became a cancer patient, he tried to resign but Abe asked him to stay.

Irrelevant.

I think Amari is only trying to fulfill his responsibility as a minister so as not to damage Abe administration.

The longer he stays and comes out with comical nonsense about needing a week to get his memory straight the more damage he does.

and now under fire over a media report of a funding scandal, said on Friday that he had done nothing illegal.

also said it would take about a week before he gave a fuller explanation.

The minister reiterated that he would investigate accusations

“It is true that the president of the company in question visited my office, but my memory is a little vague about what actually happened,”

“I am terribly sorry that the magazine report is causing disturbance.

Perfect recitation of the "caught with your hands in the till" script from the LDP textbook. Japan and its dirty politics will never change.

Clinging on to his position this way

He is not clinging to his position. When he became a cancer patient, he tried to resign but Abe asked him to stay. I think Amari is only trying to fulfill his responsibility as a minister so as not to damage Abe administration.