Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba received funds totaling over ¥30 million from a supporter and did not disclose them in his political fund reports, the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine reported in its online edition Wednesday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the prime minister's spokesperson, told a news conference the same day that Ishiba's office has explained to the magazine that it "has been properly handling political funds in accordance with laws and regulations and making income and expenditure reports" on them.
According to the magazine article, the supporter said he annually paid millions of yen to buy fundraising party tickets between 2003 and 2014 and also gave the Ishiba campaign cash multiple times when he ran for the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The man also said the total amount of money he gave to the Ishiba side is estimated to top at least ¥30 million ($208,000).
In the wake of the fresh money scandal hitting Ishiba, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, expressed his willingness to seek the prime minister's explanation before the House of Representatives' political ethics council.
"We need to clarify it thoroughly," Noda said.
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