Regarding suspicions that factions within the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party took some of the profits from political fund-raising events as kickbacks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, a member of the Abe faction, allegedly embezzled more than 10 million yen (about 91 million won). Suspicion arose.
Through an interview with an official, the Asahi Shimbun reported that suspicions were raised that Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno earned more than 10 million yen by selling invitation tickets to political fund parties over a five-year period until 2022, but did not record the details in the political fund balance report. It was reported on the 8th.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno belongs to the Abe faction (Seiwa Research Council), the largest faction within the party. Previously, local media reported that more than 10 people from the Abe faction alone were involved in the bribery problem, and one of them was found to have embezzled more than 10 million yen.
The Chief Cabinet Secretary is called Japan’s ‘Number Two’ and is an executive in the government equivalent to the Chief Executive Officer (COO) in a company.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno avoided answering questions about the allegations at a press conference held the previous day, saying, “I will refrain from answering.”
Prosecutors are currently investigating some of the lawmakers who served as secretary-general as having taken bribes. According to FNN, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno served as Secretary General in charge of practical affairs within the faction for about two years from September 2019 to 2021.
Communist Party Secretary General Akira Koike told News Zero, “The language is outrageous. “It is the responsibility of the person responsible for managing the affairs of the faction, so of course he must respond properly,” he criticized.
Asahi said, “The kickback issue is also having a ripple effect on the backbone of the Kishida administration,” and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors’ Office’s special department is also investigating Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno’s financial flows.
The Special Department is expected to begin a full-scale investigation to determine the full extent of the incident, with a plan in mind to listen to the former secretaries-general even after the extraordinary session of the National Assembly adjourns next week.
Source: Donga
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