Sakaguchi: Need to decouple AIJ crash from national pension

April 22, 2012: In an interview with party organ daily Komei Shimbun, New Komeito Deputy Chief Representative Chikaru Sakaguchi said the public had little to fear from the recent crash of AIJ, a private pension fund.

In his discussion on the state of Japan’s pension program, Sakaguchi—who served as Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare in 2000-04—said funds like AIJ are financed entirely by private enterprises and have no bearing on the health of the national pension program.