TOKYO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Japanese media have exposed further irregularities in the financial flows of organizations associated with Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Sanae Takaichi, on top of a recent complaint over an excess political donation to a local LDP chapter led by her.
According to an article published Thursday in the weekly magazine Shukan Shincho, a statement of income and expenditure released on Nov. 28 showed that a religious group named Kamunagara donated 30 million yen (about 193,000 U.S. dollars) to Takaichi's local LDP chapter in Nara Prefecture on Dec. 13 last year.
The article said that Noriko Kawai, the representative director of the Nara-based religious organization, donated 10 million yen in her personal capacity to the Nara 2nd District chapter headed by Takaichi. Combined with the 30 million yen donated by Kamunagara, the total donation reached 40 million yen, which is equivalent to more than 20 percent of the chapter's annual income and is no small sum.
The article points out that, according to relevant regulations, if a religious organization wants to donate 30 million yen to a political party, its expenditure in the previous year must have exceeded 60 million yen.
However, very few religious groups can spend 60 million yen on their annual expenses. It is quite puzzling that a relatively unknown and unclear religious organization like Kamunagara has donated such a large amount of money, the article said.
Meanwhile, an article published on Wednesday on the website of the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun said that a statement of income and expenditure showed that the New Era Policy Research Group, or Takaichi's financial management organization, transferred approximately 18.12 million yen to Tenri Jihosha Co., Ltd. on April 25, 2024, with the payment labeled as "data entry work fee."
On Sept. 24 of the same year, it made another payment of approximately 19.97 million yen, labeled as "costs for envelopes and briefing paper printing and binding," the article said.
The article pointed out that the two organizations, the New Era Policy Research Group and the Nara 2nd District chapter, made more than ten payments to Tenri Jihosha last year.
The article quoted Hiroshi Kamiwaki, a professor at Kobe Gakuin University who is familiar with political funds issues, as saying that Tenri Jihosha is an affiliated company of the religious group Tenrikyo. The Takaichi side had asked the company to input data, indicating that it was providing Tenri Jihosha with personal information such as lists of party members, and the relationship between the two sides was very close.
On Dec. 4, Kamiwaki filed a complaint against Takaichi with prosecutors, saying her LDP chapter in Nara Prefecture received a donation of 10 million yen from a Tokyo company on Aug. 26 last year, surpassing the 7.5 million yen limit allowed by law for that particular type of donor. (1 U.S. dollar equals about 155 Japanese yen) Enditem
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