The World - News from March 14, 1989

Opposition parties in Japan demanded that Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita resign to take responsibility for a scandal swirling around payments to members of his governing Liberal Democratic Party by Recruit Co., an information services conglomerate. The media quoted anonymous sources as saying that Recruit gave $300,000 to 15 members of Parliament, including a current Cabinet member, soon after opposition parties began an investigation of the scandal last summer. “It is outrageous if such money was received after the Recruit scandal surfaced,” a Socialist party leader said, adding, “We will intensify our pressure” on Takeshita to quit.