Prosecutors have questioned former trade and industry minister Yuko Obuchi on a voluntary basis over allegations that the former rising star of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet misused political funds, sources close to the matter said Monday.
Obuchi, 41, resigned as minister of economy, trade and industry last October to take responsibility for the money scandal, which involved her former secretary and the discovery of an erased computer hard drive. In quitting, she admitted that a great deal of suspicion remained over her financial reports but denied she had been aware of it.
Fund reports from four political groups that support Obuchi revealed that expenses recorded for outings to theaters and baseball games to entertain supporters between 2008 and 2013 exceeded the money received from the participants by more than ¥60 million.