Widening their investigation into illegal donations by Nishimatsu Construction Co., prosecutors are turning their attention to senior Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers with connections to two of the builder's political organizations, sources said Friday.
Tokyo prosecutors have already started questioning Nishimatsu officials to determine whether accountants of the LDP lawmakers, including Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai, were aware of the illegality of the donations, according to the sources.
Nishimatsu is suspected of using the two organizations as fronts to channel donations to Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa in violation of the Political Funds Control Law, which prohibits corporate donations, except those given to political parties or their fund-managing groups.