Japanese Prosecutors Make Their First Arrest in the Fundraising Scandal Sweeping the Ruling Party

Published on January 8, 2024

TOKYO—Japanese prosecutors made their first arrest Sunday in connection with a major political slush fund scandal that has rocked Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s already unpopular government. Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office said in a statement it apprehended former vice-education minister Yoshitaka Ikeda on suspicion of failing to report fundraising proceeds he received from his faction within the governing Liberal Democratic Party. Ikeda’s faction, which used to be led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, has remained the largest and most influential within Kishida’s ruling party. The faction is suspected of failing to report more than 600 million yen ($4.15 million)....

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