Slush Fund Used for Condolences

The Special Investigation Division of Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office made a search of offices of a member of House of Representatives, Manabu Horii, with suspect of violation against Public Offices Election Act. Horii is doubted as illegally distributed money for condolence to the families in his electoral district. After the search by the prosecutors, Horii left the LDP. The prosecutors presume that the money was made from the slush fund illegally given by Abe faction of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Horii was elected from proportional district of Hokkaido in last election in 2021, after being defeated in Hokkaido 9thdistrict by a candidate with the Constitutional Democratic Party, Tatsumaru Yamaoka. He is one of the members of Abe faction and listed as a member who received “kickback” from the faction as sales of fundraising party beyond quota, and failed in reporting it. The amount of unreported fund was 21.96 million yen between 2018 and 2022.

 

The prosecutors suspect that Horii distributed tens of thousand yen as condolence to his supporters in his district in Hokkaido, when their family died in around 2022. Distributed money would amount to hundreds of thousand yen. Former secretaries of Horii reportedly said that they distributed the money with instruction of Horii. Former Minister of Defense, Itsunori Onodera, was disenfranchised for three years with crime of distribution of incense sticks, one of the funeral goods, in 2000. Former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Isshu Sugawara, received the same penalty with distribution of ceremonial goods to his supporters.

 

According to a report of Asahi Shimbun, Horii used the slush fund from Abe faction for the condolences. The Public Offices Election Act prohibits politicians to distribute cash for condolences in their electoral district except directly handing it with attendance of funeral. Horii did not attend the funerals, asking his secretaries to handing the cash on behalf of him. It is also doubted that Horii has used the secret fund for the meetings with local supporters.

 

It is suspected that Horii distributed the fund to his supporters, knowing it as illegal. The secret fund from his faction is the money without recording. Illegal use of illegal money cannot be recorded, because the money is not supposed to exist. Through the slush fund scandal in the LDP, it has not been clarified how those funds were spent by each lawmaker who received it.

 

The opposition parties accuse the case of Horii as the second phase of the slush fund scandal, expecting that the other LDP lawmakers will be found as using the fund for illegal purposes. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has still not captured an opportunity for boost, leaving the people in Japan doubts on the handling of political funds by the LDP. The scandal on how the slush fund was used may affect the presidential race, in which Kishida hopes to be reelected.

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