Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party raised ¥2.46 billion last year from industry groups and large companies, government data showed Friday, the seventh straight year the figure has increased.
Industry bodies' contributions in 2018 to the funding body of the ruling party rose 2.7 percent from the previous year, highlighting the close ties between big business and Abe, who became Japan's longest-serving prime minister last week.
The data came from an annual report on political funds released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.