TOKYO —

Political groups of Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Taro Aso received a total of 3.7 million yen of donations over a 12-year period through 2006 from a medical equipment sales firm involved in a bribery case, legal documents showed Thursday. ‘‘The company is just one of many supporters of Aso and the money was a normal donation. There is nothing problematic about it as he has never done the company a favor,’’ an official at Aso’s office said, suggesting that Aso will not return the donation. According to political funds reports filed with the government and Aso’s office, Tokyo-based firm Yamato Jushi Kogaku donated 300,000 yen every year between 1995 and 1999 to the lawmaker’s funds management body called Sowai-kai.
   
Once Japanese law banned corporate donations to funds management bodies, Yamato Jushi donated 300,000 to 400,000 yen every year until 2006 to the LDP’s No. 8 Fukuoka Prefecture constituency chapter, which is headed by Aso, a House of Representatives member from Fukuoka. Aso also attended a party celebrating the 40th anniversary of the company’s establishment in June 2007 where he gave congratulatory remarks in front of attendees, according to his office. Yamato Jushi is alleged to have given 600,000 yen to a division chief of the National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, as bribes. Police arrested Hiroko Kubomura, the company’s president, and Kenji Yanashima, former senior official at the center, over the bribery case on Monday. Yanashima, 63, is suspected of receiving the cash between January and April 2007 in return for giving Kubomura, 74, tips on the center’s plans to order medical equipment. Yamato Jushi received orders worth some 186 million yen for the center between fiscal 2001 and 2007, according to the police. A manufacturer and seller of contact lenses as well as medical equipment, Yamato Jushi began court-ordered bankruptcy proceedings this month after its financial standing deteriorated due to rapid business expansion.

Kyodo

› Login to comment

1 Comments

• 

  AlliedForces at 08:29 PM JST - 22nd August

  This ASo guy is one bad guy, who also spout racist and offensive rants.

  How can someone like this be a politician? He is the usual crook of the LDP. He should resign or be sacked in shame NOW.

  If a US politician was caught up in scandals like this guy, he would be gone long ago. Japan get into the 21st century.

Register or Login to leave a comment