December 28, 2009Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) lawmaker Tomohiro Ishikawa faces charges in connection with political funding violations after Ishikawa apparently admitted to "mistakes" in funding reports for a DPJ Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa fundraising organization.
Ishikawa, who was in charge of accounting data processing for Ozawa's fund-raising group Rikuzan-kai, is suspected of violating the Law to Regulate Money Used for Political Activities, and apparently admitted to accounting mistakes and his involvement in them during an interview with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.
The allegations revolve around about a 500 million yen Ozawa funding pool allegedly funneled to the Rikuzan-kai through five political groups and not recorded in the organization's political funding report. Furthermore, Ishikawa allegedly reported an October 2004 Rikuzan-kai land purchase in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward -- worth some 340 million yen -- the following year. The land is currently being used as residences for Ozawa's secretaries.
According to sources close to the case, Ishikawa has admitted to those around him that he was personally involved with moving some 500 million yen in political funds, and that he used the cash pool because Rikuzan-kai "had insufficient operating capital in-hand."
Furthermore, Ishikawa apparently said that the cash pool was held by Ozawa in his capacity as DPJ secretary-general, and has suggested that the funds -- held by Ozawa's office among other sources -- were under the secretary-general's direct control.
Ishikawa has also apparently said that the money for the 2004 land purchase also came from the fund pool, and not from outside contributors such as construction contractors. He claims that he reported the land deal late because he had announced in December 2004 his candidacy for the House of Representatives election and was too busy.
When asked about the monies for the land deal, Ozawa's private office stated that 400 million yen was placed in a term deposit account at a financial institution and that the deposit was used as collateral to obtain a loan from the institution in the name of Ozawa to buy the land.
(Mainichi Japan) December 28, 2009
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