Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hiromu Nonaka was awarded 5 million yen Tuesday in his libel suit against a monthly magazine.
Nonaka had been seeking 10 million yen in damages and a published apology from Yasunori Okadome, the publisher of Uwasa no Shinso (Truth of Gossip) magazine.
Presiding Judge Satoshi Mizukami of the Kyoto District Court, however, rejected Nonaka's demand to have the magazine publish an apology.
Uwasa no Shinso carried an article in its May 2001 edition that implied Nonaka pocketed some government subsidies in connection with a subway project in Kyoto, Nonaka's home district.
Nonaka filed the suit against the publisher the same month, calling the article groundless.