Japan Press Weekly

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2014 November 26 - December 2 [POLITICS]

LDP begs building industry for money

The Liberal Democratic Party obtained 126 million yen, double the amount it got in the previous year, from the construction industry, according to the 2013 political funds report the Ministry of Internal Affairs released on November 28.

After coming into power, the LDP fund management body in February 2013 wrote the industry a letter mentioning the planned expansion of public works projects set forth in the Abenomics economic policy and asked for “courtesy” donations of 471 million yen.

Akahata obtained a copy of this letter. Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo showed the letter to Prime Minister Abe Shinzo during a one-on-one debate on July 3 last year and criticized it as the epitome of the politics of greed.

According to the ministry’s report, 43 member companies of the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors (Nikkenren) provided a total of 126 million yen in political donations to the LDP. The size of contributions and the number of corporate donors increased by 62 million yen and by 10, respectively, from a year earlier.

Five major general construction contractors (Obayashi, Kajima, Shimizu, Taisei, Takenaka) provided 12 million yen each, up 50% from 2012. Benefitting from the increase in public works projects, four of the five obtained a 20% increase in the amount of contracts they were awarded.

Industry exec: We got a letter again this year

Nakahara Nobuo, executive officer of Nikkenren, responded to an Akahata inquiry on November 28 and said, “Yes, this year as well we received letters from the LDP and the People’s Political Association (the LDP fund management body - Kokuseikyo). The wording of the letters is a little different from that of last year but the amount they are asking is the same as last year.”

The Nikkenren executive said that both the party and its fundraising group are asking for 471 million yen and that Nikkenren has already conveyed verbally to the top 50 member companies the request.

Furthermore, the executive said that the LDP’s fund management body visited Nikkenren member companies one by one and directly handed a similar letter to each company.

Past related article:
> LDP uses ‘Abenomics’ to tap construction companies for political donations [July 4, 2013]