June 27, 2009Two political groups linked to futures trading company Orient Boeki and its affiliates donated around 310 million yen to dozens of lawmakers after corporate donations to individual politicians were legally banned, it has been learned.
The two political groups -- Heisei no Kai, established in 1998, and Seikei Seisaku Kenkyu-kai (Seikei-kai) -- donated a total of some 310 million yen to dozens of Diet members of both the ruling and opposition parties between 2000 and 2007.
Corporate contributions to individual politicians' fund-raising organizations were prohibited in 2000 under the Law to Regulate Money Used for Political Activities.
Among the recipients, many who received larger sums were lawmakers with vested interests in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. It's also emerged that one of the five group companies of Orient Boeki offered plum jobs for retired bureaucrats at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Both ministries are in charge of supervising futures trading.
According to financial statements and other sources, Seikei-kai donated an annual sum of around 10 to 30 million yen to several Diet members between 2000 and 2005. Heisei no Kai contributed a yearly amount of some 22 to 38 million yen to dozens of lawmakers by purchasing their fundraising party tickets and other means.
The top beneficiary of these donations was Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano, who received 37.7 million yen between 2000 and 2005, followed by Gotaro Yoshimura, a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) member of the House of Councillors, who received 32.5 million yen; former Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, who received 8.34 million yen; and former Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Nariaki Nakayama, who received 5.8 million yen.
Machimura is a former bureaucrat with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (the forerunner of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), while Nakayama served as parliamentary vice minister for trade and industry and senior vice minister for economy, trade and industry.
Yoshimura chaired the House of Councillors Committee on Economy and Industry in 1998, when it deliberated a revision to the Commodity Exchange Law -- which regulates futures trading. He also headed the LDP's trade and industry division.
Among opposition lawmakers, Shizuka Kamei, acting leader of the People's New Party, received 13.2 million yen in donations.
(Mainichi Japan) June 27, 2009
Posts
