A Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker told a Lower House panel on Wednesday that he suspects the Foreign Ministry has spent several hundred million yen in funds "pooled" at Mitsukoshi Ltd. to buy paintings, liquor, accessories and other luxury items.

A spokesman for the major Tokyo department store chain explained that the company has been doing business with the ministry and "we have money that has been deposited (by the ministry) and is used for purchases made, with the balance kept as a deposit."

Senior Vice Foreign Minister Seiken Sugiura said he will "have to conduct a detailed investigation" into the matter, because it could be a violation of the Public Accounts Law.

DPJ lawmaker Atsushi Kinoshita disclosed the case at the House of Representatives Committee on Audit and Administrative Oversight, presenting what he claimed were internal documents listing the merchandise purchased by the Foreign Ministry, the unit prices, volumes and purchase price after discounts, between March 12 and April 20 this year.

The list included a Japanese painting worth 5.2 million yen, 28 pieces of silverware each priced at 11,400 yen and 50 scarves, each costing 4,500 yen.

The documents also showed monthly transactions and balances for the pooled funds, although it was not clear which months the figures represented.

A balance listed under the title "previous month" stood at around 24.2 million yen, while a deposit of around 13.8 million yen was shown deposited under the heading "current month."

Purchases in the month came to around 21.7 million yen, leaving a "current balance" of around 32.1 million yen.

Kinoshita said that payments were made in the name of the ministry rather than individuals, and that he suspects the goods were bought with public funds.

Sugiura said they may have been purchased with a combination of both public funds and private money.