Japanese PM Takaichi apologizes for accepting excess corporate donations

Japanese Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday apologized for a LDP chapter led by her accepting a political donation that exceeded the legal maximum, the Nikkei reported.

At a meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives on the day, Takaichi expressed her deep regret as the chapter representative for accepting donations in violation of the political funds control law, adding that her chapter had already returned the exceeded amount, the report said.

On December 4, Kobe Gakuin University Professor Hiroshi Kamiwaki filed a complaint against Takaichi with prosecutors, saying the local chapter of the LDP in Nara Prefecture, represented by Takaichi, received a donation of 10 million yen (about $64,400) from a Tokyo company on August 26 last year, surpassing the 7.5 million yen limit allowed by law for that particular type of donor.

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.

(With input from Xinhua)