Japan's ruling party approved a proposal that strongman Ichiro Ozawa's party membership be suspended until he receives a final verdict in his trial over the scandal. -- PHOTO: AP
TOKYO - JAPAN'S ruling party moved a step closer on Tuesday to suspending the membership of its strongman Ichiro Ozawa over a funding scandal that has divided its leadership as well as its rank-and-file.
The standing officers council, the 36-member decision-making body of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), approved a proposal that Mr Ozawa's party membership be suspended until he receives a final verdict in his trial over the scandal.
The council will make the decision final, possibly by the end of this month, after consulting the party's ethics committee.
On Monday, the party's 12-member executive board approved the same proposal.
The punitive move came after court-appointed lawyers indicted Mr Ozawa last month on charges of involvement in false financial statements filed in 2004 and 2005 by the body that manages his campaign funds.
If his membership is officially suspended, Mr Ozawa will be stripped of all party titles and financial support. -- AFP
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