Hidenao Nakagawa, former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, raised the most political funds in 2008 among Diet members, maintaining the top position for the second straight year, according to political funding reports released Tuesday.
Combining revenue from Nakagawa's fundraising management body and the local-level LDP branch he heads, he took in ¥401.6 million.
Former internal affairs minister Kunio Hatoyama, the younger bother of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, followed Nakagawa with ¥306.8 million.
Former trade minister Takeo Hiranuma came in third with ¥286.2 million and former Prime Minister Taro Aso was fourth with ¥280 million.
Kenko Matsuki, an aide to Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, raised the most in the DPJ. He took in ¥277 million to rank fifth among all Diet members.
Ozawa raised ¥185 million, ranking 11th, and Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada was 19th with ¥14.8 million.
Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) members raised the most on average by party, ¥88 million per person, followed by the LDP at ¥72.9 million, Your Party at ¥44 million and the DPJ at ¥27.8 million.
The average Diet member raised ¥41.4 million.
