LDP Tokyo Assembly Group Accountant Faces Indictment Over Hidden Funds; ¥35 Million Not Recorded in 2019, 2022 Reports

The Liberal Democratic Party’s headquarters building in Tokyo
7:00 JST, January 19, 2025
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office’s special investigation squad has filed a summary indictment against Hidekatsu Yajima, a former staffer in charge of accounting for the political organization of Liberal Democratic Party members in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, on suspicion of violating the Political Funds Control Law, the prosecutors said Friday.
The summary indictment was filed with the Tokyo Summary Court over allegations that Yajima, 72, failed to record about ¥35 million in revenue from sales of fundraising party tickets and other means, according to the prosecutors.
A total of 11 people, including then Diet members and accountants, have faced summary and other indictments in connection with LDP faction fundraising parties since January last year. With Yajima now facing criminal responsibility, the situation has now spread to the local assembly level.
According to the announcement by the special investigation department and other sources, Yajima allegedly recorded a total of about ¥179 million in revenues such as those raised in fundraising parties hosted by the group in its 2019 and 2022 political funds reports, despite the fact that such revenues actually totaled about ¥214 million.
According to individuals involved, the group assigned each assembly member a quota of 50 tickets, to be sold for ¥20,000 each for a total of ¥1 million. However, 20 or more members did not give the amount raised in excess of the quota to the group, and instead pooled the excess among each other. This practice of not logging the excess in either the group’s political fund reports of those of individual members had been ongoing for around 20 years or more.
The special investigation squad decided not to press charges against each assembly member in question, since the amounts of money not recorded in their individual political funds reports were small.
At a press conference at the metropolitan government building on Friday following the indictment, Daisuke Komatsu, a Tokyo metropolitan assembly member and the group’s secretary general, said that the group, as a political organization, would be disbanded. Komatsu also said the group and each assembly member involved will revise the reports.
Ishiba issues apology
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is also the president of the LDP, issued an apology at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday, saying, “I apologize as the president of the party.”
“We must communicate with the party’s Tokyo chapter to ensure that the truth is quickly uncovered, and that appropriate responsibility is taken,” Ishiba added. “We must make sure not to adopt a stance that the party headquarters is not involved [in local affairs].”
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
ANA, JAL Cancel Flights Due to Heavy Snowfall
-
Heavy Snow Continues to Affect Shinkansen Services; Several Lines Delayed or Suspended (Update 1)
-
ANA, JAL Cancel More Flights As Heavy Snowfall Continues in Japan
-
Emperor, Empress, Princess Aiko Appreciate Monet Exhibition in Tokyo
-
Search for Truck Driver Suspended after 30 Minutes at Saitama Sinkhole; Risks of Further Cave-ins too Great
JN ACCESS RANKING