06-30-090634ETTOKYO (AFP)--Japan's opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama on Tuesday apologized for the sloppy accounting records of his fund-raising body, the latest blow to his party in an election year.
Media had questioned the accounting records of the group that manages political donations to Hatoyama, saying the donors' list included names of dead people and those who had denied giving money.
"I apologize with all my heart that my fund-raising group caused concern and disturbed the public," Hatoyama told a hurriedly organized press conference.
"I have found that what has been pointed out by the media was basically correct. I also found other erroneous items."
He said a total of Y21 million ($220,000) had been recorded incorrectly since 2005.
Hatoyama said he immediately sacked an accountant responsible for the problem but wouldn't resign his leadership of the Democratic Party of Japan, or DPJ.
Hatoyama became the latest political heavyweight to draw criticism over donations irregularities in the past few months.
His predecessor Ichiro Ozawa resigned in May after being accused of accepting illegal donations in return for public works contracts.
The DPJ hopes to topple Prime Minister Taro Aso's Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled Japan almost without break for more than half a century.
Last week finance minister Kaoru Yosano was also accused of taking illegal donations, which he denied.
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