Koichi Kato, former secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Friday there is no evidence implicating him in a tax evasion scandal concerning his secretary and maintained the aide had properly handled political funds.
"There are no signs that would indicate he acted on my instructions," Kato told reporters outside his home in Minato Ward, Tokyo.
Saburo Sato, the 61-year-old secretary, is suspected of concealing several hundred million yen in income.