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JCP says 82-million yen in donations to 9 ruling party politicians may be illegal

Nineteen ruling party members of parliament, including cabinet members, may have violated the law by receiving 82.08 million yen as campaign funds from public works projects contractors.

This was a revelation made by Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on February 7 at the House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting.

In Japan, the Public Offices Election Law prohibits politicians from receiving donations in relation to election campaigns from government contractors.

Recently, members of the Liberal Democratic Party's Nagasaki prefectural branch were arrested on suspicion of receiving money (during a Nagasaki gubernatorial election) from construction firms that were awarded contracts for the prefecture's public works projects.

"Our investigation shows these kinds of illegal donations are a nationwide problem, not just in Nagasaki," Shii said, pointing out that public works project contractors made donations to the ruling lawmakers only in election years: in 2000 for the Lower House election and in 2001 for the Upper House election.

Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro insisted that they are legal, saying, "They were donations for political activities in general, not for particular election campaigns." He even rejected Shii's demand that the government investigate into the allegations over illegal donations.

Shii refuted the prime minister, saying, "Even if these donations are reported as ordinary political donations, they are connected with particular elections and therefore illegal. This is what LDP members in Nagasaki were told when they were arrested." (end)