The treasurer of the largest faction of Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party, on trial over falsified political funds reports, has testified that a senior faction official sought the continuation of kickbacks.
Matsumoto Junichiro is the treasurer for the LDP faction once led by the late former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.
He was responding to a question from his lawyer at the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday.
He is charged with failing to declare about 675 million yen, or about 4.3 million dollars, in fundraising party revenues and other proceeds over a five-year period through 2022, in violation of the political funds control law.
Matsumoto broadly admitted to the charges in the first hearing last month.
Abe reportedly instructed in 2022 that kickbacks of fundraiser revenue to lawmakers be stopped.
He was fatally shot in early July that year.
Matsumoto testified he was told by a senior faction official at the end of July that a lawmaker was demanding a kickback.
Matsumoto said he consulted with the faction's acting leader Shionoya Ryu, and asked that he summon senior officials.
He said discussions by Shimomura Hakubun, Nishimura Yasutoshi, Seko Hiroshige and Shionoya ended in the direction of resuming kickbacks.
Matsumoto's lawyer did not ask who the "senior faction official" was, and Matsumoto did not give a name.
Asked whether he was briefed by his predecessor about the kickbacks and the practice of not declaring them in political funds reports, Matsumoto said he was given a broad explanation.
But he denied being briefed on the practice of some lawmakers keeping party revenues for themselves instead of giving them to their faction.
Matsumoto then apologized for continuing the practice and inviting public mistrust.