Citing a Shinjuku Accountant article (September 4, 2018), this post summarizes reporting and online discussion surrounding the arrest of the head of a Kansai ready-mix concrete union branch and alleged links to Representative Kiyomi Tsujimoto.
It outlines the Weekly Asahi/AERA.dot coverage and highlights the unusual timing of an NHK political-magazine feature about Tsujimoto’s “homemade curry,” arguing that NHK appears to be avoiding the allegations and that the timing itself raises suspicion.

February 16, 2019.
No matter how you look at it, it is unnatural for NHK to go out of its way to bring up Ms. Tsujimoto at exactly this timing.
As I myself tweeted, NHK is doing everything it can to avoid touching the ready-mix concrete allegations.
The following also continues from the earlier article.
https://shinjukuacc.com/20180904-01/.
“The Tsujimoto Ready-Mix Concrete Allegations” and the Constitutional Democratic Party, a treasure trove of human liabilities whose stupidity is truly hopeless.
Ready-mix concrete, sexual harassment, adultery, and corruption.
Concerning the Constitutional Democratic Party, the largest opposition party in the House of Representatives, various scandals continue to surface online day after day.
Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan seems to have said, “It is a misunderstanding that the Constitutional Democratic Party appears arrogant,” but the party is not “arrogant.”
It is simply a “treasure trove of human liabilities with hopeless stupidity,” that is all.
1 A summary of the ready-mix concrete allegations as of now.
1.1 The arrest of Kenichi Take, a suspect affiliated with Rentai.
1.2 Possible connections with Representative Kiyomi Tsujimoto.
1.3 Is NHK defending Ms. Tsujimoto?
1.4 Political funding reports cover only three years.
2 If it is the Constitutional Democratic Party, then that is to be expected.
2.1 The suspected person must prove their own innocence.
2.2 The astonishing double standards of the Constitutional Democratic Party.
2.3 Mr. Seiji Osaka’s “sexual harassment crime” question.
2.4 Mr. Kan, the Constitutional Democratic Party is not “arrogant,” it is “XX.”
3 Those who should be blamed are the voters.
A summary of the ready-mix concrete allegations as of now.
The arrest of Kenichi Take, a suspect affiliated with Rentai.
Because I had to travel to a certain region last weekend, I was unable to fully keep up with the important news that emerged over the weekend, but I will cover this report that came out nearly a week ago.
Many regular readers of this website likely already know, but on the 28th of last month, Kenichi Take, executive committee chairman of the Kansai Ready-Mix Concrete Branch of the All-Japan Construction and Transport Solidarity Labor Union (hereafter “Rentai”), was arrested by Shiga Prefectural Police on suspicion of attempted extortion.
“Arrest of the top figure in Kansai ready-mix concrete.
Attempted extortion case involving a Shiga ready-mix concrete company.
To a trading company that refused a contract: ‘This will become a serious matter’.”
(Sankei News, August 28, 2018, 11:07).
At this time, no verdict has been issued regarding whether the suspect was involved in an attempted extortion case, so I would like to refrain from judging guilt or innocence.
However, according to Kansai TV, the suspect allegedly inflicted “harassment that would be unimaginable under normal circumstances” on business owners.
“‘Don of the ready-mix concrete industry’ arrested.
Harassment included 100 people shouting strange cries and hurling abuse in front of a home early on New Year’s Day.
Perhaps nearly 10 billion yen was collected.”
(Yahoo! News, August 28, 2018, 19:54, distributed by Kansai TV).
According to Kansai TV, information was introduced stating that, “under instructions from the suspect and others, they searched for illegal labor practices such as unpaid overtime, then as a labor struggle they engaged in group obstruction and street propaganda against companies and demanded settlement money,” thereby collecting nearly 10 billion yen over several decades.
As examples of their methods.
Members of the union would stand in front of trucks transporting cement and obstruct shipments, and in some cases shipments of ready-mix concrete, which can harden within hours, would be obstructed, making the hardened concrete unusable.
One business owner said that “for a large project it impacts sales by 75 million yen per day and 1.5 billion yen over 20 days,” and paid 120 million yen to the suspect.
For five years, about 100 people would gather in front of the home at 7 a.m. on New Year’s Day, screaming and insulting the residents.
These are malicious acts, and if they are true, they closely resemble the methods of typical antisocial forces.
Possible connections with Representative Kiyomi Tsujimoto.
On the internet, if you search for “ready-mix concrete and Kiyomi Tsujimoto,” countless pages appear.
“Kiyomi Tsujimoto” refers to Representative Kiyomi Tsujimoto of the Constitutional Democratic Party, and surprisingly, among major media outlets, the one that reported this was the Asahi Shimbun-affiliated website AERA.dot.
“A boomerang for Representative Kiyomi Tsujimoto?
Shock in Nagatacho after the arrest of the ‘don’ of the ready-mix concrete industry.”
(Weekly Asahi, August 31, 2018, 07:00).
I do not know why an Asahi Shimbun-affiliated site reported this, but summarizing Weekly Asahi’s reporting yields the following (when quoting, I have adjusted expressions as appropriate within the range that does not alter the meaning).
The suspect Kenichi Take is called the “don” of the ready-mix concrete industry and holds major influence in political circles.
According to people connected to Rentai, the suspect has backed opposition lawmakers such as Ms. Tsujimoto who met his approval, using abundant funds.
According to the income and expenditure reports of Ms. Tsujimoto’s political fund management organization, it is recorded that in 1999 Rentai purchased party tickets worth 500,000 yen, and in 2000 Ms. Tsujimoto received donations totaling 1,000,000 yen from two Rentai executives.
The suspect’s financial source was relentless struggle, and through tactics such as “holding street propaganda around the home of a company president who refuses collective bargaining,” and “stopping mixer trucks near construction sites if a company tries to procure concrete from a company not in his union,” he secured abundant funding.
The suspect was also arrested and indicted in 2005 by Osaka Prefectural Police for attempted coercion and obstruction of business by force.
These articles are consistent with the earlier Kansai TV report.
That is not all.
Weekly Asahi further stated that “there is suspicion that such funds also flowed into Nagatacho,” and described that “about once a year, Chairman Take comes to Nagatacho, leading around 20 union executives, visiting the offices of the lawmakers they support in the Diet members’ buildings.
They all stay at luxury hotels, and at night there are lavish drinking parties with lawmakers and secretaries.
Lawmakers receiving support will cancel any appointment and come whenever Chairman Take arrives, because the support is that generous.”
Frankly, at this stage I do not know the motive behind Weekly Asahi, part of the Asahi Shimbun Group, publishing an article that appears to target Ms. Tsujimoto, a powerful figure within the Constitutional Democratic Party.
According to Weekly Asahi, Ms. Tsujimoto’s office responded to the arrest of the suspect as follows.
“We have no comment.
We have not received donations from the specified person or organization.
We do not know what is meant by a dinner meeting with Mr. Take, so we cannot answer.”
However, if Weekly Asahi’s report is true, it would mean that funds were received from an organization related to the suspect in 1999 and 2000, and that does not sit well.
Is NHK defending Ms. Tsujimoto?
On the other hand, what is even more unnatural is NHK’s reaction.
Yesterday, NHK posted online information titled, “Political Magazine: ‘Ms. Kiyomi Tsujimoto’s Mother’s Special Homemade Curry’—Nagatacho and Kasumigaseki’s “Sala-meshi”.”
NHK Political Magazine: “Ms. Kiyomi Tsujimoto’s Mother’s Special Homemade Curry | Nagatacho and Kasumigaseki’s Sala-meshi.”
NHK is doing everything it can to avoid touching the ready-mix concrete allegations.
Somehow, the curry even looks like ready-mix concrete.
https://www.nhk.or.jp/politics/salameshi/8122.html ….
9:19, September 3, 2018.
Ms. Kiyomi Tsujimoto’s Mother’s Special Homemade Curry | Nagatacho and Kasumigaseki’s Sala-meshi | NHK Political Magazine.
The person eating curry rice in an office at the Diet members’ building in Nagatacho is Ms. Kiyomi Tsujimoto (58), a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party.
In fact, this is a special curry that Ms. Tsujimoto’s mother, who lives in Osaka, prepares every week and sends with her for the entire week.
It is kept stocked in the office refrigerator together with mixed-grain rice.
No matter how you look at it, it is unnatural to bring up Ms. Tsujimoto at exactly this timing.
As I myself tweeted, it is only natural for people to suspect that NHK is doing everything it can to avoid touching the ready-mix concrete allegations.
Please note that NHK often deletes content from its website very quickly, so the images at the link may disappear soon as well.
To be continued.