Wind Power Firm Head Quizzed over Money to LDP Lawmaker

Jiji Press

16:49 JST, August 4, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Prosecutors have questioned the head of a Tokyo wind power firm on a voluntary basis for allegedly providing a ruling party lawmaker with a large sum of money, people familiar with the matter said Thursday.

Japan Wind Development Co. allegedly provided a large amount of money to the Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, the people said.

Japan Wind Development, founded in 1999, had developed 293 wind power generation units in Japan and abroad as of April this year, according to the company’s website. It operates onshore wind farms in 34 locations across the country.

The company released a statement Thursday denying that it has bribed any lawmaker or government official and saying it has several pieces of evidence to back this claim.

Masatoshi Akimoto, Japan’s Foreign Affairs Exec, Submits Letter of Resignation Over Funding Issue