Ishiba Faces Fresh Money Scandal

   Tokyo, May 7 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had received funds totaling over 30 million yen from a supporter and had not disclosed them in his political fund reports, the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine reported in its online edition Wednesday.
   Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the prime minister's spokesman, told a press conference the same day that Ishiba's office has explained to the magazine that it "has been properly handling political funds in accordance with laws and regulations and making income and expenditure reports" on them.
   According to the magazine article, the supporter admitted that he paid millions of yen annually to buy fundraising party tickets between 2003 and 2014 and also gave the Ishiba campaign cash multiple times when he ran for the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The man also said the total amount of money he gave to the Ishiba side is estimated to top at least 30 million yen.
   In the wake of the fresh money scandal hitting Ishiba, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, expressed willingness to seek the prime minister's explanation before the House of Representatives' political ethics council.
   "We need to clarify it thoroughly," Noda said.

(2025/05/07-19:56)

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