 JCP: Diet must probe into covert dental donation to LDP Hashimoto faction The Tokyo Public prosecutors Office on August 29 arrested the treasurer of Heisei Kenkyukai, the biggest faction in the Liberal Democratic Party, on charges of violating the Political Funds Control Law by not reporting a political donation of 100 million yen. The donation was from Nisshiren, the Japan Dental Association's political lobbying wing. Reportedly, former Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryutaro in July 2001 received a check for 100 million yen and later handed it to the treasurer. The treasurer cashed the check but did not record the donation in the faction's political fund balance sheet. Hashimoto Ryutaro claimed that he can't remember receiving the check. In a published statement on the same day, Japanese Communist Party House of Representatives member Sasaki Kensho stated that the arrest is proper, but that the Diet must probe into all the facts behind the donation: What purpose was the 100 million yen for, how the money was actually spent, and what the reasons were for not reporting it in the balance sheet. (end) |