With the "black money" scandal of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) still ongoing, Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi Hayato and Defense Minister Koizumi Shinji have again been embroiled in a scandal involving illegal political donations. According to a report by the "Nikkei," on December 4, Professor Uwakami Hiroshi from Kwansei Gakuin University filed a complaint with the Nara Prosecutors' Office, alleging that Takahashi violated the Political Funds Control Act and that the local LDP branch led by Takahashi received corporate donations exceeding the annual limit stipulated by the law in 2024.

The complaint revealed that on August 26, 2024, the LDP's second electoral district branch in Nara received a donation of 10 million yen from a Tokyo-based company with a capital of 100 million yen, which exceeded the 750 million yen annual limit for companies of this size under the Political Funds Control Act. This issue was discovered in the political funds income and expenditure report published on December 2. The second electoral district in Nara has long been Takahashi's "base" and "territory."

In addition to Takahashi, Uwakami also filed charges against the branch's financial officer and the representative of the involved company, indicating that the entire chain of fund receipt is suspected of being illegal.

Notably, Uwakami himself is an expert in checking political funds in Japan. In October 2023, it was Uwakami who submitted a report to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors' Office, accusing multiple factions within the LDP of concealing at least 40 million yen in political funds between 2018 and 2021, violating the Political Funds Control Act. After investigation, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors' Office found that the amount of "black money" involved in the LDP far exceeded 40 million yen, with the "Abe faction" alone having secret funds exceeding 600 million yen.

Afterward, numerous prosecutors were summoned to participate in the related investigations, and the "black money" scandal of the LDP was thus exposed, further triggering a "tectonic shift" in the Japanese political arena, with multiple factions within the LDP dissolving one after another. Then-Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's approval rating continuously declined, eventually leading to his resignation.

Uwakami Hiroshi, Asahi Shimbun

After being accused, the LDP branch responded by stating that they had "misjudged the scale of the donor company," and have already initiated a refund process. When interviewed, the branch also said, "If the Nara Prosecutors' Office conducts any investigation, we will provide corresponding explanations."

In addition to Takahashi, the LDP's first electoral district branch in Kanagawa Prefecture, led by Koizumi, was also exposed to similar issues, receiving a 10 million yen donation from a company in Osaka in 2024. Uwakami has also filed a complaint with the local prosecutors' office on the 3rd.

On December 3, opposition party members questioned Takahashi and Koizumi in the Japanese Diet about the issue. Takahashi adopted the same stance as her LDP branch, stating that they "misjudged the scale of the donor company." Takahashi even said, "I don't think there's anything wrong with accepting donations from corporate organizations supporting the party's branches." Koizumi, on the other hand, responded that the problem arose because "they hadn't thoroughly understood the scale of the donor company." Both returned the excess 2.5 million yen in donations beyond the limit.

However, Takahashi and Koizumi's responses clearly did not convince everyone. For example, lawyer Yuki Higashihori stated on a TV program: "If the prime minister or defense minister take such an attitude and just say 'it was a mistake' and return the money, can this really be acceptable?" Also, Japanese netizens noticed that when questioned about the issue in the Diet, Takahashi and Koizumi recited the "same script," further raising doubts among Japanese netizens about the truth of this scandal, and even questioning the capabilities of the top leadership of the LDP.

Japanese netizens discovered that Takahashi and Koizumi read the same manuscript in the Diet, X

Before taking office, Takahashi had promoted an image of being "fresh, hardworking, and different from traditional politicians," which helped her gain a large amount of support. However, this image has repeatedly "crumbled" since taking office, particularly in relation to the scandals involving LDP political donations. Among the senior officials appointed by Takahashi after she became prime minister in October, seven were directly related to the "black money" scandal. On December 3, during a Diet session, an opposition member mentioned the issue of "politics and money," but Takahashi responded by saying, "Compared to this issue..." and tried to change the subject. These actions have caused dissatisfaction among the Japanese public.

After being repeatedly exposed in scandals, the "Asahi Shimbun" wrote in its editorial: "The people have developed deep distrust in the LDP. If Takahashi does not face the issue seriously, then 'rebuilding trust is out of the question.'"

This article is an exclusive piece by Observers, and may not be reprinted without permission.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7580205022000988714/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.