Political groups linked to Toshiaki Endo, the newly appointed minister in charge of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, "received millions of yen in donations" from execs at a meat producer on the same day in '13, raising questions about their propriety, according to KYODO.
If the execs "had used company money for these outlays, it could be a violation of the Political Funds Control Act, which bans companies from making donations to entities other than political parties and groups set up for parties’ fundraising activities."
Endo said on Wednesday that the donations were “contributions from individuals” and they had been processed “appropriately.” According to the reports of the political groups, Endo’s fund-management group received 1.5M yen each from the chairman and the president of the meat company on June 8, 2013.
On the same day, the chairman’s wife contributed 1.5M yen to Endo’s support group (KYODO, 7/8). REUTERS' Elaine Lies wrote Endo said that a report that his political support groups had received illegal funds was "completely groundless," while a top official said it would pose no problems for PM Shinzo Abe's government.
The issue arises at a "delicate time" for Abe, who "is trying to enact a sweeping change of security policy despite widespread public opposition, and also as outrage grows over ballooning costs for Tokyo's hosting of the Summer Olympic Games in 2020." Endo's office issued a statement denying the report, saying that it was "completely groundless" and that a correction and an apology had been demanded. Corporate donations "are banned, except to political parties." Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that there "would be no political fallout for the Abe government, which saw three ministers resign over the past year over similar allegations, even as it pushes to pass a law enabling Japanese troops to fight overseas for the first time since World War Two" (REUTERS, 7/8).
