On his desk is a bill to prosecute any government whistle-blower who dares make public any corruption or abuses of power any official stamps "classified."

Aguirre said the SEC and the Justice Department have failed to adequately prosecute abuses by hedge funds.

However, the announcements this weekend signal that the president, whose popularity ratings have steadily declined over the last year, may become more aggressive about prosecuting past abuses of authority.

For that position to be justified, the United States military must maintain its credibility by having just procedures for prosecuting abuses of power.

After building a reputation for his willingness to challenge state and federal officials over their failures to prosecute abuses of human rights, he was made Attorney General in January 1993.

Critics said the agency was focusing on a minor incident while not prosecuting much more serious abuses, like a huge bid-rigging case involving the construction industry in a Tokyo suburb.

"We prosecute abuses of power," he said, "and you have to have power to abuse it."

Thursday's agreement commits the Japanese to vastly increase their spending on public works, revamp their retailing system and prosecute monopolistic abuses.

The move ended a long, contentious trial that was considered a test of the country's willingness to prosecute abuses by the military.

But it has not shown much more willingness to prosecute abuses by the police forces and the army, human rights groups say.