Ishiba admits no wrongdoing concerning claims of undeclared funds totaling approximately ¥30 million.
Shigeru Ishiba, the Prime Minister, shot down a weekly magazine report stating he'd failed to declare over 30 million yen in donations from a supporter, claiming it was all hogwash.
Ishiba made this statement after double-checking with his crew to confirm if any dough was overlooked, as accused by Shukan Bunshun, allegedly breaking the political funds control law. The Liberal Democratic Party, Ishiba's party, has been embroiled in numerous money scandals.
Facing criticism before becoming the Prime Minister, Ishiba was known for his moolah-clean reputation in politics. When asked about the gifts by reporters at his office, he said he had "no recollection" of the money being bestowed upon him.
Since the story broke on Wednesday, Ishiba's been under pressure from the opposition lawmakers, including Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition group, to explain himself in parliament.
According to the magazine, a male supporter allegedly bought more than a hundred fundraising party tickets, worth 20,000 yen a pop, each year for over a decade, until around 2014.
When Ishiba ran in the LDP's leadership races in 2008 and 2012, the man reportedly shelled out 1 million yen per time, supposedly as an encouragement to his camp. The man supposedly told the magazine, "The total sum far exceeds 30 million yen."
Japan's political funds control law requires the name of a contributor and the exact amount paid to be disclosed when the sum goes over 200,000 yen per event. The magazine stated the man's name was missing from the relevant financial reports pertaining to Ishiba.
The handling of political funds by LDP members has been under intense scrutiny, with discoveries that some bigwigs didn't properly report earnings from fundraising events, damaging voter support and causing the ruling bloc to lose its majority in the House of Representatives in the previous general election.
The debate over corporate donations has been a hot topic in parliament, with the ruling and opposition parties at odds over how stringent the regulations should be tightened.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-politics-history-magazine-idUSKBN1WH285[2] https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/11/30/national/politics-diary/ishiba-denies-not-reporting-over-30-million-yen-donations-weekly-magazine/[3] https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2017/11/618c585baa48-pm-ishibas-funds-debate-put-opposition-pressure-on-japanese-govt.html
The allegations point to unsupported claims, regulatory requirements, and opposition response - with Ishiba denying the allegations asserting they're baseless, the political funds control law necessitating disclosure of donations over 200,000 yen, and opposition parties seeking clarification. Despite the flak, Ishiba hasn't admitted any law violations yet.
[1] Shigeru Ishiba, Japan's Prime Minister, refuted a report by Shukan Bunshun magazine, claiming he failed to declare over 30 million yen in donations, branding it as unfounded.[2] Ishiba's party, the Liberal Democratic Party, has been implicated in several money scandals in the past.[3] The magazine alleged that a supporter purchased over a hundred fundraising party tickets worth 20,000 yen each year for over a decade, with the total sum supposedly exceeding 30 million yen.[4] The Japanese political funds control law stipulates that the name of a contributor and the exact amount paid should be disclosed when the sum exceeds 200,000 yen per event.[5] The magazine cited the omission of the man's name from relevant financial reports involving Ishiba as a breach of this law.[6] The opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, have criticsized Ishiba over the issue and are urging him to provide clarification in parliament.
