Japan Press Weekly

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2024 February 14 - 20 [POLITICS]

Koike: Survey on LDP slush funds far from satisfactory

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on February 13 criticized the survey results, which the LDP released on the same day regarding slush funds created from its factions’ fundraising parties, as “extremely inadequate”.

The LDP surveyed all 374 LDP lawmakers and ten former members, and found that 82 sitting Dietmembers “failed to record” some of their income from fundraising parties in their political funds reports over the past five years.

Koike pointed out that the LDP in its survey report says that some factions instructed their members’ offices not to include “the refunded money” in their political funds reports but does not clarify when or by whom the “instruction” was given.

Koike also pointed out that the survey asked about only two items: whether they “omitted” any fundraiser income on their political funds reports from 2018 to 2022, and the amount of such unreported income.

Koike said that the survey did not ask how the slush fund system was created and how such funds were used.

Koike added, "The survey was far from satisfactory, but it became clear that all of the LDP, including the Abe and Nikai factions (Seiwakai and Shisuikai), had been systematically creating slush funds.”