A former lawmaker of Komeito, the junior party in Japan's ruling coalition, pleaded guilty on Monday to illegally mediating public loans to companies, including some hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Kiyohiko Toyama, who stepped down as a Komeito Lower House member in February last year, is accused of receiving a fee in return for helping to secure loans from Japan Finance Corp. between around March 2020 and June 2021, even though he was not licensed to do so.
Admitting to the allegation, Toyama, 52, said during his first hearing at the Tokyo District Court, "I deeply regret inviting distrust toward politics."