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Japan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Secretary of LDP's Hagiuda fined over funds scandal
The Tokyo Summary Court on Friday fined a policy secretary of Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Koichi Hagiuda for violating the political funds control law, amid fallout from the ruling party's political funds scandal. The 46-year-old secretary, Toshifumi Ushikubo, was ordered to pay ¥300,000. The court order came after the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office filed a summary indictment against Ushikubo earlier in the day. The prosecutors had decided not to indict Ushikubo last December, but a prosecution inquest panel determined in June that he should be indicted. According to the summary indictment, Ushikubo failed to report a total of ¥19.52 million between 2020 and 2022. The money was transferred from the LDP's largest faction, once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The faction disbanded after the scandal. In a post on X on Friday afternoon, Hagiuda apologized and said he takes the court decision seriously. He added that he had accepted the secretary's resignation. Hagiuda himself faced a criminal complaint, but prosecutors decided not to indict the lawmaker and the inquest panel backed the decision. Accounting officials of the Abe faction and a faction led by former Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai have also received suspended sentences amid the scandal.
a day ago
- Politics
Secretary of LDP's Hagiuda Fined over Funds Scandal
News from Japan Aug 15, 2025 19:28 (JST) Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo Summary Court on Friday fined a policy secretary of Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Koichi Hagiuda for violating the political funds control law in the ruling party's political funds scandal. The 46-year-old secretary, Toshifumi Ushikubo, was ordered to pay 300,000 yen. He was also suspended from civil rights for three years. The court order came after the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office filed a summary indictment against Ushikubo earlier in the day. The prosecutors had decided not to indict Ushikubo last December, but a prosecution inquest panel determined in June that he should be indicted. According to the summary indictment, Ushikubo failed to report a total of 19.52 million yen between 2020 and 2022. The money was transferred from the LDP's largest faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The faction disbanded after the scandal. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday afternoon, Hagiuda apologized and said he takes the court decision seriously. He added that he had accepted the secretary's resignation. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Asahi Shimbun
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Hagiuda aide to face summary indictment over funding scandal
Koichi Hagiuda, at right and former chair of ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council, in the Diet building on Aug. 1 (Koichi Ueda) The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has reversed its previous decision to refrain from persecuting an aide of Koichi Hagiuda, former chair of ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council, over unreported donations and is now pursuing legal action. The aide is suspected of failing to log 22.9 million yen ($155,000) yen in donations from an LDP faction over four years on political funds income and expenditure reports. According to multiple sources, Tokyo prosecutors plan to file a summary indictment against the aide for violating the Political Funds Control Law. This procedure involves requesting a penalty, such as a fine, through a non-public written review, and requires the aide's consent. If consent is not granted, the prosecutors are expected to switch to a formal prosecution, seeking a trial in an open court. The LDP's largest intraparty faction that was previously led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was at the center of the high-profile funding scandal, with lawmakers accumulating large sums of unreported assets gained from fund-raising parties. Hagiuda was a leading figure of the faction, and his aide was accused of failing to include the 22.9 million yen the lawmaker received in donations from the faction in the political funds income and expenditure reports from 2019 to 2022. The aide was previously given a non-prosecution disposition (suspension of prosecution) in 2024 and was not held criminally responsible. However, in June of this year, the Tokyo No. 5 Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution stated that the aide 'falsified records under instructions from the former Abe faction's secretariat.' The aide 'followed the instructions without opposing them' and 'without consulting Hagiuda despite fully recognizing the illegality,' the committee said. The committee also said, 'If the suspension of prosecution continues, false reporting (of political funds) will never cease,' and thus resolved that the aide should be held legally responsible. This decision marked the first time in the series of the LDP fund scandals that a ruling of prosecutable charges was made against an individual related to a Diet member. Tokyo prosecutors have changed their policy from non-prosecution to prosecution of the aide based on the committee's resolution and the results of the reinvestigation. According to sources, the aide has admitted during the investigation to having made false reports in the political funds report. On the other hand, Tokyo prosecutors have decided not to prosecute Hagiuda himself for lack of suspicion. The committee has also concluded that non-prosecution is appropriate. However, Hagiuda will likely be held accountable for explaining the matter to voters if the aide, who is employed using public funds, is held criminally responsible. Hagiuda and four other lawmakers were collectively known as the former Abe faction's 'Goninshu,' or 'five leaders of tomorrow.' He served as the education minister and the economy minister, as well as the LDP executive acting secretary-general. The LDP suffered a heavy defeat in the July Upper House election due partly to this scandal, resulting in the loss of the ruling coalition's majority. Hagiuda has been loudly calling for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to take responsibility and resign in light of the outcome.
03-08-2025
- Politics
Summary Indictment Eyed for Japan LDP Hagiuda's Secretary
News from Japan Aug 3, 2025 16:03 (JST) Tokyo, Aug. 3 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo prosecutors are considering issuing a summary indictment of Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Koichi Hagiuda's policy secretary for violating the political funds control law over the LDP's slush fund scandal, sources said Sunday. The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is considering such an action after a panel of citizens ruled that the secretary of Hagiuda, a member of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, should be prosecuted. A summary indictment requires the consent of the person. If no consent is obtained, the secretary is expected to be indicted without arrest. In a criminal complaint filed by a university professor, the secretary is accused of not including a total of 22.9 million yen in kickbacks from the now-defunct LDP faction linked to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in political funds reports for 2019 to 2022. In December last year, the prosecutors office decided not to indict the secretary. But in June this year, the prosecution inquest panel in Tokyo demanded the person's indictment, saying, "If we continue to let such cases escape prosecution, false entries in such reports will never disappear." [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
30-06-2025
- Politics
Japan Panel Seeks to Indict Hagiuda Secretary over LDP Scandal
News from Japan Society Jun 30, 2025 16:16 (JST) Tokyo, June 30 (Jiji Press)--Overturning a decision by public prosecutors, a Japanese panel of citizens has concluded that a secretary of House of Representatives lawmaker Koichi Hagiuda should be indicted for political funds control law violation in connection with a slush funds scandal at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The ruling by the prosecution inquest panel in Tokyo was revealed by Hiroshi Kamiwaki, professor of Kobe Gakuin University, who filed for a review of the prosecutors' decision not to indict the secretary. The decision was made June 10. It is the first time that a prosecution inquest panel has been found to have concluded that an indictment is appropriate for someone involved in the LDP scandal concerning revenues from sales of fundraising party tickets. Following the panel's decision, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's special squad will reinvestigate the case to make a decision again on whether to indict the secretary. The panel's conclusion said that the secretary intentionally failed to report kickbacks of part of ticket sales revenues from the now-defunct LDP faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to its chief accountant. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
