January 18, 2023

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

As shown by a spate of resignations of ministers last year mainly due to Moonies- and political funds-related scandals, the Kishida Cabinet is still tainted by corruption. The Akahata Sunday edition of January 15 revealed a political funds scandal involving Economic Security Minister Takaichi Sanae.

According to the Akahata Sunday edition, a Liberal Democratic Party constituency branch in Nara Prefecture whose head is Takaichi in 2021 held a fund-raising party. The LDP local in Nara’s Yamazoe Village purchased party tickets amounting to 220,000 yen and included this amount in this year’s political funds report. On the other hand, Takaichi’s branch in its political funds document did not report on the revenue from the ticket sales of 220,000 yen from the Yamazoe Village local.

The Political Funds Control Act requires that purchases of party tickets amounting to over 200,000 yen be reported in political funds reports. A penalty of five-plus years imprisonment or a minimum of one million yen will be imposed on offenders.

Last year, a civil group accused Takaichi of infringing on the law. After the accusation, the LDP Yamazoe Village local revised the 2021 political funds report, changing the purchased amount of tickets from the previously reported 220,000 yen to 120,000 yen.

In response to an Akahata inquiry, Takaichi explained that the Yamagoze Village local mistakenly reported on the purchase amount. However, in response to an Akahata inquiry ahead of the revision of the political funding document, the village local’s treasurer said that the local paid 220,000 yen to Takaichi’s branch for party tickets. As the former minister who supervises the law on political funds, Takaichi should fulfill her accountability regarding the allegation in the Diet, and the scandal-ridden Kishida Cabinet should resign en masse.

Past related articles:
> Reconstruction minister and internal affairs parliamentary vice minister dismissed [December 27, 2022]
> Third Kishida Cabinet minister to resign within a month [November 21, 2022]
> Economic revitalization minister resigns due to his deep ties with Moonies [October 25, 2022]