The Cabinet Secretariat has filed a document with the Hiroshima District Court showing it paid 220 million yen in discretionary funds to then Chief Cabinet Secretary Hidenao Nakagawa in 2000, sources close to the case said Saturday.
The Cabinet Secretariat did not disclose how the money was used, saying it could harm relations with other countries, according to the sources.
The secretariat made the revelation following a court inquiry in November about the discretionary funds. Major publishing house Shinchosha Co. sought the disclosure in a libel suit filed by Nakagawa against the publisher.
The disclosure is rare as the government maintains that the funds are given to the chief Cabinet secretary to ensure smooth implementation of government duties, and their use is not made public due to national interests.