A former secretary to farm minister Tadamori Oshima received at least 5 million yen in kickbacks from a consulting company executive for helping contractors land public works contracts, an opposition Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker said Monday.
During a Lower House special committee on public corporations reform, DPJ lawmaker Nobutaka Tsutsui said that documents, including a bank account receipt, proved Hiroshi Miyauchi, Oshima's former top aide, accepted the money from the company executive through a construction company president. The executive's name was withheld.
The new revelation is likely to place Oshima in an awkward position as he has repeatedly denied that his secretary received any kickbacks.
The money-related scandal involving Oshima's aide was first published in weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun in October. According to the article, Miyauchi received kickbacks from construction companies and brokers in return for helping them get contracts for public works projects.
The consulting company executive served as a mediator to shield Miyauchi from accusations of directly accepting the money, according to the magazine.
According to the DPJ, Miyauchi received a total of 55 million yen from the company executive on 15 occasions between 1994 and 1997.
On one occasion, 5 million yen was paid into a bank account of the construction company before being transferred to Miyauchi in installments, Tsutsui said, presenting bank account documents and a letter to Miyauchi signed by the construction company president in which the president promises to make the payments.
Oshima said he will show the documents to Miyauchi and ask him to explain.
Oshima also admitted to receiving 200,000 yen for a lecture he gave at his support group meeting that he failed to report as political funds.
He apologized for the oversight and said he has informed the Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry that he will correct his fund report.
