Tokyo (TB)--Who says only Filipinos are whistleblowers?
Freelance journalist Hakurai Ataka blew the whistle on the Japanese government-sponsored sex trips customarily accorded visiting dignitaries to Tokyo's Senzoku red-light district in Taito Ward.
Mind you, denominations here are not in hundred million dollars. Neither are these pure grease money for foreign-aid programs and trade deals.
"The ministry bureaucrats depend on me," he confides. "An interpreter who knows where to obtain information — like which shops have the best girls — is a precious asset."
"For a senior official, the budget is ¥100,000 per head; for those ranked lower, the outlay would be ¥60,000 to ¥70,000," Sakakibara relates.
"Before the girl takes a visitor into her room, I'll typically slip her a ¥20,000 yen tip," he adds. "Why? Well it's customary, you know. It also encourages them to keep quiet."
Cheap treat for cheap politicians. It seems politics is dirty everywhere.
By the way, Arroyo's economic team led by Finance Sec. Margarito Teves and Trade and Industry Peter Favila are scheduled to visit Tokyo to talk with government bureaucrats and industrialists in the first week of March.
I wonder how much budget the Japanese Foreign Ministry has for them--¥100,000, ¥60,000 or ¥70,000. I think this depends on the importance Japan gives to the Japan Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Benelynne
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