Finance minister may have also accepted hidden corporate donations

Japan Press Weekly

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Finance minister may have also accepted hidden corporate donations

Another minister in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Aso Taro may have accepted illegal donations from a commodity futures trading firm via the company's dummy political action group. This revelation adds to the seriousness of the malady of politicians tainted with corrupt money.

On June 24, it was reported that Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Yosano Kaoru may have accepted political donations from Orient Trade Co., Ltd., currently H.S. FUTURES Co., Ltd., by using its political action group as a conduit.

The group is named "Seikei Seisaku Kenkyu-kai" (Association for Policy Studies)". Sources close to the group have revealed that the ex-owner of Orient Trade headed the group.

Yosano's office acknowledged that his fund managing organization "Shunzan-kai" accepted cash donations from the policy study group every month.

Yosano has admitted to accepting 250,000 yen each month between 1981 and 2005 from the group.

The Political Funds Control Law currently prohibits corporations from making donations to individual politicians.

H.S. FUTURES employees with managerial positions were forced to pay 5,000-8,000 yen per month to the policy study group through deductions from their salaries.

- Akahata, June 25, 2009