One of Abe Children Arrested

The Special Investigation Division of Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Sunday arrested a member of House of Representative, Yoshitaka Ikeda, with suspicion of failing in reporting about ¥48 million of political fund which he received from Abe faction in Liberal Democratic Party between 2018 and 2022. Ikeda is the first lawmaker who was arrested in the slush fund scandal of LDP factions. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is asked how he takes the responsibility for the scandal as the president of LDP.

Dubbed as one of the children of Shinzo Abe, Ikeda is suspected as having received money from Abe faction, which was the sales of tickets for fundraising parties of the faction without recording in political funds report. Abe faction had a rule that the sales of fundraising party, which exceeded the quota for each lawmaker, would be returned to the lawmaker. Ikeda did not report it as income, and Abe faction did not report it as spending.

 

Such unreported money in Abe faction is supposed to be amounting ¥500 million and most lawmakers of Abe faction are involved in. Ikeda is reported that he received the second largest amount of money in the faction and he has been arguing that the money was “spendings for political activities” which did not legally need to be reported, with instruction of Abe faction. A financial supervisor in the office of Ikeda, Kazuhiro Kakinuma, was also arrested.

 

According to the news reports, the public prosecutors arrested Ikeda, because they recognized a possibility that he might destroy the evidences. The prosecutors see that Ikeda instructed Kakinuma to make a false report on the fund. It is also likely that Ikeda tried to destroy the data related to the false report. The prosecutors recognized Ikeda as more malicious than other lawmakers.

 

Ikeda’s maliciousness does not mean that no other lawmaker will be arrested. If the prosecutors think that a lawmaker with false reports tries to destroy evidence or to run away, it causes an arrest. It is also possible that someone in Abe faction, who were accountable for controlling money, will be arrested with suspicion of failing report of their spendings. Former secretary generals and some leaders in Abe faction have been interviewed by the prosecutors.

 

Prime Minister Kishida performed emphasized his willingness to reform of LDP. “It was very regretful that a Diet member affiliated with our party was arrested and I take it seriously. Our party has to make efforts to restore confidence on politics with sense of crisis,” said Kishida to the reporters. Abe faction released a comment that it would do what they should do to restore confidence on politics. It is still not clear exactly what they will do for it.

 

Some opposition parties, Constitutional Democratic Party and Japan Communist Party, argue that fundraising party should be prohibited. Coalition partner of LDP, Komeito, requires that the minimum amount of income mandatory for reporting must be lowered from ¥200 thousand to ¥50 thousand, and demands tightening some other regulations. Kishida has approved none of them.

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