The Democratic Party of Japan and its fundraising team received ¥7.76 million in fiscal 2008 from five government-affiliated organizations that hired retiring bureaucrats, a report by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said Wednesday.
In some cases, the DPJ asked the industry groups for the political contributions — a move that could be interpreted as contradicting its pledge to end the practice known as "amakudari," which literally means "descent from heaven."
"We cannot offer any comment because we are considering how we will respond," a DPJ official said.