A witness told the Tokyo District Court on Monday that he saw an Osaka real estate developer give 30 million yen to Shizuka Kamei, chairman of the Policy Affairs Research Council of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Masami Hayashi, 56, president of real estate broker H.R. Royal, testified in the bribery trial of former Construction Minister Eiichi Nakao that he saw the developer, Heo Young Joong, 54, hand over the cash to Kamei in early April 1996.
Hayashi told the court that he and Heo visited Kamei's office. "Heo's act showed how he used money in the political world," Hayashi told the court. Heo, also being tried for his role in the Itoman case, is known for having ties with the underworld.