The Tokyo High Court on Thursday overturned a lower court acquittal and gave one-time Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Kanezo Muraoka a suspended 10-month prison term for hiding a 100 million yen 2001 donation from the Japan Dental Association to the LDP's then top faction headed by the late Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.
Presiding Judge Masaru Suda said testimony by the former treasurer of the faction, Toshiyuki Takigawa, that Muraoka had organized the coverup had "exceptionally high credibility."
"It is evident the accused conspired with Takigawa" and decided not to declare the donation in the faction's political funds report, Suda said. He said the district court erred in dismissing Takigawa's testimony.