Secretary of LDP's Hagiuda Fined over Funds Scandal

   Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo Summary Court on Friday fined a policy secretary of Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Koichi Hagiuda for violating the political funds control law in the ruling party's political funds scandal.
   The 46-year-old secretary, Toshifumi Ushikubo, was ordered to pay 300,000 yen. He was also suspended from civil rights for three years.
   The court order came after the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office filed a summary indictment against Ushikubo earlier in the day. The prosecutors had decided not to indict Ushikubo last December, but a prosecution inquest panel determined in June that he should be indicted.
   According to the summary indictment, Ushikubo failed to report a total of 19.52 million yen between 2020 and 2022. The money was transferred from the LDP's largest faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The faction disbanded after the scandal.
   In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday afternoon, Hagiuda apologized and said he takes the court decision seriously. He added that he had accepted the secretary's resignation.

(2025/08/15-19:28)