Japan Press Weekly

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2023 August 2 - 8 [POLITICS]

JCP Koike: LDP should work to uncover facts behind alleged bribery involving LDP lawmaker

Liberal Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives Akimoto Masatoshi resigned from his post as a parliamentary vice-minister for Foreign Affairs after his home was searched by Tokyo Prosecutors on suspicion of bribery on August 4.

On the same day, asked by reporters in the Diet building for comments on Akimoto's allegation, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira said, "The LDP should not just draw a curtain on the scandal with his resignation."

Koike pointed out that there are other issues, such as a connection between Akimoto's Diet questions and his receiving of money, and that he may have violated the Political Funds Control Act.

Koike demanded that Akimoto explain to the general public what had really happened and that the Kishida government in addition to the LDP fulfill their responsibilities for finding out the whole truth.

Akimoto is suspected of receiving a total of 30 million yen from Japan Wind Development Co., Ltd., a company dealing with offshore wind power generation, between October 2021 and June 2023. According to the LDP website, Akimoto was the secretary general of the LDP lawmakers' league dealing with the promotion of renewables.

In 2018, an offshore renewable energy development law was enacted. The law sets exclusive rules for the designation of general sea areas so that business operators can have easier access to the development of marine wind power generation in order to increase the use of wind power. Akimoto at a Lower House committee on November 21 of the same year boasted, "As a parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Land and Infrastructure, I myself have been engaged in helping to draft this law for 14 months."