July 7, 2022

The Kishida Cabinet Secretariat spent as much as 657 million yen in secret funds with no receipts in only six months, Akahata learned through an information disclosure request.

According to Akahata on July 7, the Cabinet Secretariat used more than 670 million yen in secret funds between October 4 last year when the Kishida Cabinet was inaugurated and March 31 this year.

Out of the 670 million yen, the Cabinet, with no receipts required, used 657.3 million yen under the name of "policy promotion funds". Only Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu knows what the money was used for, and the purpose is never made public. The number of days Matsuno was in office as Chief Cabinet Secretary after the launch of the Kishida government was 179, which means that he disbursed 3.67 million yen per day in "policy promotion funds".

The national average of minimum hourly wages is 930 yen. Working eight hours a day, 300 days a year for this hourly wage will amount to less than 2.4 million yen, falling short of even two thirds of the amount the Cabinet Secretariat used a day.

It is necessary to oust the present government having a free hand to use tax money to further its vested interests in the guise of "confidentiality".