Lawmakers' income averaged ¥24.12 million in 2017, unchanged from a year earlier, with the top three earning over ¥200 million each through stock sales, parliamentary data showed Monday.
While Lower House members did not receive salaries during the dissolution of the Diet and general election period last year, their average income remained unchanged due to increased gains from other business activities, such as lawyer or writer fees, as well as income from managing property.
Topping the list was Ichiro Aisawa, a 64-year-old House of Representatives member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who reported income of ¥711.93 million after selling shares in a company run by a relative and a property in Tokyo's upscale Minami-Aoyama area.