Junichiro Koga

Speaking in his constituency in Fukuoka, Koga said he will not accept his salary as a Lower House member until the next general election is held.

Koga returned to Japan on Jan. 26 from the United States, where he spent six days trying to clear up suspicions that he lied during his campaign for the Nov. 9 general election about graduating from Pepperdine University in California. The university said he had studied there but never graduated.

California State University, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Los Angeles, also denied that Koga had studied there, contradicting claims he made about his academic background in information that the 45-year-old lawmaker provided when he was campaigning.

In the speech, Koga said he will attend classes at Pepperdine when the Diet is not in session to obtain the remaining credits he needs to graduate.

The Japan Times Weekly: Jan. 31, 2004
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