Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka on Tuesday denied helping to cover up a 100 million yen donation made to the Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction by the Japan Dental Association in 2001.
Muraoka stands accused of being the one who in March 2002 decided not to declare the donation in the faction's annual official funds report, in violation of the Political Funds Control Law. At the time of the incident, he was deputy chairman of the faction then headed by former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.
In entering his plea before the Tokyo District Court, Muraoka said it was former LDP Secretary General Hiromu Nonak who managed the faction's coffers.