Japanese citizens bring lawmakers to court amid slush fund scandal

Twelve Japanese citizens filed a criminal complaint on Thursday with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office against 10 lawmakers, including five prominent members of the Abe faction of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, focusing on allegations of secret funds and tax evasion.

Before the criminal complaint was filed, dozens of Japanese people including the complainants held a demonstration in front of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Thursday morning.

The complainants said they "demand strict punishment for the accused individuals."

The accused lawmakers were either members or former members of the Seiwa policy study group, also known as the Abe faction of the LDP, identified with the late former prime minister Shinzo Abe.

During the period from 2018 to 2022, despite the obligation to submit accurate income declarations to the head of the relevant tax office, they failed to include the sales revenue listed in the separate sheet sales revenue ledger of party tickets sponsored by the Abe faction in their income declarations without any justifiable reason. As a result, they evaded income tax on the respective sales revenue.

Allegations suggest that lawmakers affiliated with several LDP factions redirected funds exceeding the sales quota for party tickets back to the politicians as slush funds, with no record of the entire financial flow in the financial statements of the factions or their members. The scandal has significantly fostered public distrust in politics in Japan.