Criminal complaint filed against Japanese PM Takaichi for alleged illegal acceptance of donations

A criminal complaint was filed against Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday, alleging that she received a political donation from a company that exceeded the legal maximum.

The complaint, sent by Hiroshi Kamiwaki, a constitutional law professor at Kobe Gakuin University, said a local chapter of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Nara Prefecture, represented by Takaichi, received in August 2024 a 10 million yen ($64,400) donation, above a 7.5 million yen limit stipulated in the political funds control law for a donor of that size.

Similarly, an LDP chapter in Kanagawa Prefecture led by Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi received a 10 million yen donation from another firm, also surpassing the 7.5 million yen cap. Kamiwaki filed a separate complaint on Wednesday regarding the violation.

The cases add to the ruling LDP's slush fund scandal, first revealed in 2023, in which some party factions of the LDP allegedly instructed member lawmakers to sell political fundraising party tickets beyond their assigned quotas without recording the amount as revenue in its political fund reports, and then funneled the surplus back to lawmakers as kickbacks, creating off-the-books funds.

Among the senior officials Takaichi appointed after taking office in October, seven have been linked to the LDP's slush fund scandal. Critics said her ambiguous stance on the scandal suggests limited willingness to push for fundamental reform.