Farm minister Shin Atsube said on Wednesday that he would "confirm the facts and handle the matter properly" after a weekly magazine reported that a political group he heads may have broken the Public Offices Election Act by accepting donations from companies during election campaigns.
Atsube, who leads the Liberal Democratic Party's Hokkaido No. 12 electoral district branch, spoke to reporters at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The suspicion is one of several raised against him under the same law, and he has faced repeated questions over them.
According to Bunshun Online and other reports, the branch received a total of ¥850,000 from construction companies in Hokkaido and elsewhere during House of Representatives election periods between 2014 and 2021. Atsube said he had not known the companies held public works contracts, and that he would consider how to respond, including returning the money.
A loophole that keeps resurfacing
The law bans companies from donating to politicians or their fundraising bodies, and bars donations tied to election campaigns. The rule exists to keep corporate money out of campaigns, but cases involving district branches and construction firms have recurred, and the reports against Atsube concern the same pattern.
The article appeared alongside coverage of the resignation of agriculture minister Taku Eto, whose departure over gaffes drew criticism from political parties in Nagasaki Prefecture, with some calling the timing of the decision too slow.
Other political news
In a Hyogo prefectural assembly by-election in the Takasago city district, former city assembly member Shimazu was certain to win, defeating former deputy governor Katayama, according to the report.
Land minister Kaneko offered an unusual explanation during a Diet reply concerning Michitoshi Miura, saying he had said "let's make Komeito an ally" because "our eyes met."