NHK has learned that Tokyo prosecutors are questioning people from the political organizations of five factions of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party over allegations that they underreported revenues in political funds reports.
Sources say the prosecutors began the questioning on a voluntary basis after receiving a complaint from a university professor. The professor alleged the organizations failed to report a total of about 40 million yen, or about 267,000 dollars, in political funds during the four years through 2021.
The complaint says financial controllers of the five factions allegedly violated the Political Funds Control Law.
The law requires political organizations to record in their funds reports the names of individuals or organizations that pay over 200,000 yen, or about 1,340 dollars, at a fund-raising party, along with the amounts paid.
According to the complaint, the five political groups failed to report revenues from party ticket sales, ranging between about 2 million yen and about 19 million yen.
Prosecutors will likely investigate how the political funds reports were created as well as the flow of money surrounding the factions' fund raising parties.