MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th November, 2020) Aides to Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, did not record expenses for annual government-funded cherry blossom viewing gatherings, held by Abe's support group, in political funds reports, as they feared that costs would be viewed by the public as inappropriate, the NHK broadcaster reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Earlier this week, Tokyo prosecutors have launched a probe into inconsistencies in paid bills for annual events hosted by Abe following allegations of the violations of the political fund's control law by the former prime minister's office.
The cherry blossom viewing events have been organized annually since 2013 at hotels by Abe's political support group. During the first year of the gathering, Shinwakai, Abe's fund management body, reported that $8,000 was spent on "a meeting." The funding scandal is linked to a potential gift-giving to supporters, a practice that is strictly forbidden in Japan for politicians.
Since then, neither Shinwakai nor Abe's support group has mentioned any expenses on the annual gatherings in reports, while NHK's sources revealed that the ex-prime minister's office had paid at least $77,000 over the five years from 2014-2019. Sources also said that Abe's first secretary told prosecutors that expenses at annual parties should have been recorded by the support group. Meanwhile, the former prime minister himself told reporters earlier this week that his office was fully cooperating with the launched investigation.
In August, Abe, the country's longest-serving prime minister, resigned abruptly due to the recurrence of a chronic illness. The Japanese parliament promptly elevated Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga to head a new government. Abe, a life-long member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is seen as political royalty in Japan with heavyweight political and military leaders on both sides of his family.
