Ichiro Ozawa’s Secret Love Child?

Ichiro Ozawa, the man once certain to be Prime Minister before scandal forced him to resign, has been found innocent on fraud charges. No one seems convinced by the verdict, including us, which is why we couldn’t resist posting this story currently running wild in the tabloids.

According to Shukan Bungei, Ozawa apparently had an affair with a television reporter he met in 1989 at a party. In summer 1990 she then gave birth to his love child!

The tabloid uses as its source an acquaintance of the mother, whom she supposedly confessed to about the paternity of her son.

We cannot verify the accuracy of this story at all (= don’t sue us!) but we like the idea of the scoop, at any rate.

Politicians are famous for spawning kids through adultery and Japanese ones are no exception. The public tends to be more forgiving here, though if, as in one famous case, you don’t pay your mistress her dues — hush money, free apartment — then you cannot expect kind treatment from votes or the press!