Photo/Illutration Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura, front, and cosmetic surgeon Katsuya Takasu call on voters to sign a petition to recall Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura in October. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The scandal over falsified signatures on a petition to recall Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura still leaves many questions unanswered. This outrageous act, which surfaced nearly six weeks ago, is tantamount to an attempt to fabricate public opinion.

Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura and others who led the recall campaign have effectively denied any direct responsibility, leaving the public leery about how the operation was carried out.

It is imperative to get to the truth about these false signatures and clarify the responsibility of those involved.

When asked about the scandal at a municipal assembly session earlier this month, Kawamura said he was not “the leading figure” in the campaign although he admitted to having provided “enthusiastic support.”

He also said he failed to notice the mass of forged signatures, adding that the episode had left him feeling “miserable.”

We do not believe that Kawamura himself instructed or gave his approval for this fraudulent act. But he clearly did more than ask for signatures on the street.

Kawamura led a successful campaign to recall the Nagoya municipal assembly 11 years ago. He provided data on 34,000 or so individuals who had served as signature-gatherers for that campaign to organizers of the petition to remove the Aichi governor from office.

Eleven years ago, Kawamura promised not to disclose or provide the data to any third party.

Kawamura’s action may not be necessarily deemed illegal because political organizations are not covered by the personal information protection law. But if nothing else, he broke a public promise.

Kawamura's deep involvement in the recall campaign does not allow him the luxury of evading his political and moral responsibility, given that such a huge number of falsified signatures were submitted to the election administration commission.

It emerged that part-time workers were hired to copy names from unspecified lists and other materials onto forms for the recall petition.

An advertising company was paid to gather those individuals at the request of a recall campaign official, according to a senior official of that firm. A document specifying the order also existed, according to the official

It is appalling to contemplate that some of those involved all but contend that “no actual damage” was done on grounds the recall did not materialize. They are grossly mistaken.

People whose names were used without their knowledge feel profound indignation and anxiety.

The names used for falsified signatures included those opposed the campaign. Many people feel uneasy about how not only their names but also their addresses and birthdates were provided to the campaign.

There are suspicions that lists of members of neighborhood associations and PTAs were leaked. There is a growing reluctance among many people to take part in such activities or provide their names to such organizations.

The trend could serve as a disincentive for people to take part in local community events, thereby hampering voluntary activities by local residents. Resorting to widespread forgery is an extremely harmful act from this point of view.

Did those who perpetrated the fraud feel safe, thinking that their actions would not come to light if the campaign did not succeed and there was no inspection by the election administration commission? What was their aim in trying to bolster the number of signatures even to the extent of forging them?

The public wants and deserves to know answers to the many remaining questions.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 13

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