Ishiba denies allegations of over ¥30 mil in undeclared funds
A weekly magazine report that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba neglected to disclose more than 30 million yen in donations from a supporter was refuted by Ishiba on Thursday, claiming it was not factual.
Ishiba made the statement after consulting his secretaries to determine whether Shukan Bunshun’s claims that certain donations had been made in violation of the political funds control law had been true. Several financial scandals have plagued his Liberal Democratic Party.
Before becoming prime minister, Ishiba was seen as a politician who was clean on financial matters. He told reporters at his office that he had “no recollection” of the money that was given to him.
Since the report came out on Wednesday, Ishiba has faced calls from opposition lawmakers, including Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, to explain himself in parliament. The CDPJ is the largest opposition group.
According to the magazine, a male supporter claimed to have bought more than a hundred fundraising party tickets, worth 20,000 yen each, every year for over 10 years until around 2014.
When Ishiba ran in the LDP’s leadership races in 2008 and 2012, the man reportedly gave 1 million yen each time as a token of encouragement to his camp. The man was quoted by the magazine as saying, “The total sum far exceeds 30 million yen.”
Japan’s political funds control law requires that the name of a purchaser and the amount paid be disclosed when the sum exceeds 200,000 yen per fundraising event. The magazine said the man’s name was not found in the relevant financial reports related to Ishiba.
The handling of political funds by LDP members has come under intense scrutiny, with revelations that some heavyweights failed to properly declare income from fundraising events, undermining voter support and costing the ruling bloc its majority in the House of Representatives in last year’s general election.
The debate over corporate donations, meanwhile, has been ongoing in parliament, with the ruling and opposition parties split over how far regulations should be tightened.