Japan Press Weekly

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2014 April 2 - 8 [POLITICS]

LDP receives large amount of political donations from military industry

Japan’s military manufacturers, whose executives accompanied Prime Minister Abe on sales tours abroad, donated nearly 100 million yen to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 2012. This underlines the honeymoon relationship that exists between the LDP and the military industry.

The prime minister, during the period between April last year and January this year, made 15 visits to such countries as Russia, countries in the Middle East and African nations, and agreed to promote defense exchanges with them.

A number of Japanese business leaders participated in the tours. The attendants included top officials of 13 manufacturers, which supply a large amount of weapons and equipment to the Defense Ministry.

Of the 13 corporations, 11 gave a total of 99.7 million yen to the LDP’s political fund management body in 2012, according to the political funding report. Hitachi and Toshiba provided 14 million yen each, Isuzu Motors donated 13.1 million yen, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industry 10 million yen.

The Abe Cabinet on April 1 replaced the three principles banning Japan’s arms export with new principles to promote the overseas sales of weapons and military technology.

In the 2014 budget approved last month, the government allots to military expenditures 4,889 billion yen, up by 131 billion yen or 2.8% from the previous fiscal year.

Past related article
> JCP Inoue criticizes gov’t for expanding war industry [November 14, 2013]