The political funds management body of Shizuka Kamei, policy chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, failed to report contributions of 24 million yen from a national group of doctors over three years, it was learned Friday.
Kamei Shizuka Koenkai, the legally designated body that manages Kamei's political funds, received 5 million yen in 1996 and 10 million yen in both 1997 and 1998, but reported a contribution of only 1 million yen in July 1997, according to an official at Kamei's office.
The fund management body received those contributions from an affiliated body of the Japan Medical Association, a powerful pressure group supporting the LDP.
Kamei's office claimed that it simply failed to record the contributions by mistake, and submitted on Thursday a correction to the official funds report to the Home Affairs Ministry.
Kamei's office said they realized the error after reporters found entries in the doctors' group's list of contributions that were not recorded on Kamei's political fund report.