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The problem of money and politics has once again resulted in a criminal case. To dispel public distrust, it is imperative that the custom of politics requiring vast amounts of money be changed, and there be more transparency in the use of funds by politicians.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office’s special investigation squad issued a summary indictment against former House of Representatives member Manabu Horii, accusing him of violating the Public Offices Election Law (prohibition of donations) and the Political Funds Control Law (false entries in political funds reports). The Tokyo Summary Court issued a summary order requiring Horii to pay a ¥1 million fine and suspending his civil rights for three years.
From 2021 to 2023, Horii was alleged to have sent his secretaries and others to funerals and other occasions for 52 voters in his Hokkaido constituency, providing condolence money and flowers for a total of ¥610,000. He also allegedly failed to include ¥17 million received from the LDP’s Abe faction in his political funds report.
The Public Offices Election Law prohibits secretaries and others from giving condolence money to voters. For this reason, a secretary advised Horii to stop doing it, but he did not accept the advice, saying it was a long-standing custom and he could not stop, according to sources.
It is an act that ignores the intention of the Public Offices Election Law, which aims to maintain a healthy relationship between politicians and constituents.
In 2021, Isshu Sugawara, a former economy, trade and industry minister, was fined and had his civil rights suspended for the crime of distributing condolence money and other items. It cannot be that Horii had no knowledge of this incident. It can be said that continuing to offer condolence money, despite being aware of its illegality, makes the crime more wrongful.
Horii was an Olympic medalist in speed skating. Prior to the indictment, he left the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and resigned as a Diet member. However, he has not made clear the circumstances of his improper political funds report, nor how the hidden funds were used in detail. This stance can only be described as dishonest.
In February, the LDP questioned 91 of its lawmakers and others who had received kickbacks of income from political fund-raising parties. As a result, the party released a report stating that there was no illegal use of the kickbacks.
However, it is highly likely that the condolence money distributed by Horii’s secretaries was generated from such hidden funds. One cannot help but doubt the reliability of the LDP report.
In relation to the LDP, suspicion has arisen that Megumi Hirose, a former member of the House of Councillors, defrauded the government of public money through the salary for a state-paid secretary. She allegedly registered a person who did not actually work as her second state-funded secretary and took for herself several million yen in government money meant for that secretary. She was forced to resign as a Diet member.
In response to the hidden funds scandal involving factions, the law was revised to lower the threshold for public disclosure of the names of party ticket purchasers, among other steps.
However, some issues that should be addressed have been postponed to the future, such as the establishment of an independent body to audit political funds. A system must be established that does not allow wrongdoing by introducing external checks.
