Court fines former lawmaker 600,000 yen in slush fund case

The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday found a former lawmaker not guilty of failing to report political funds for four years and imposed a fine of 600,000 yen for one year of violations. The court also fined the former policy secretary 200,000 yen. Prosecutors had sought 1.5 million yen for the former lawmaker and 500,000 yen for the secretary.

Background of the case The former lawmaker was accused of not reporting about 51 million yen in kickbacks from fundraising party ticket sales over five years. The funds came from a now-defunct faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The trial examined whether the kickbacks counted as donations to the lawmaker's fund management organization or as deposits that did not require reporting.

Court findings The court ruled the kickbacks were donations because the faction did not describe them as deposits and the funds were not kept separate. It found the former lawmaker guilty for 2022 after kickbacks resumed. The court acquitted the former lawmaker for 2018 through 2021, stating reasonable doubt remained about awareness of reporting obligations during those years.

A total of 12 people, including four former lawmakers, have been charged in the broader scandal. This marks the first ruling issued in a trial involving a former lawmaker connected to the matter.