Japan Press Weekly

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2007 May 9 - 15 [SCANDAL]

Ex chief cabinet secretary held guilty for hiding 100 million yen contribution

The Tokyo High Court on May 10 overturned a lower court decision and handed down a guilty verdict against former Chief Cabinet Secretary Muraoka Kanezo for hiding a political donation in violation of the Political Funds Control Law.

In March 2002, Muraoka, then acting chair of former Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryutaro’s faction in the Liberal Democratic Party, decided not to report the political funds of 100 million yen given to Hashimoto from a dentists’ association, the presiding judge said.

Japanese Communist Party House of Representatives member Sasaki Kensho commented on this ruling as follows:

“It is important that the first and second sentences recognized that the Japan Dentists Federation had given under the counter a huge amount of money to the Liberal Democratic Party’s faction.

However, in this trial the point at issue had been who was responsible for secretly receiving the donation of 100 million yen, and why the donation was made and how that money was used remain to be uncovered.

The LDP not only failed to come clean but has hampered attempts to have the truth about the donation revealed by refusing to summon witnesses in the Diet. The LDP must be held responsible for this. The LDP has never reflected on the question that money is distorting politics.

The Japanese Communist Party demands a thorough probe into the matter and will work harder for the total prohibition of donations from corporations and organizations and for putting an end to corrupt politics.”
- Akahata, May 11, 2007