Former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto took the witness stand Tuesday over his party faction's unreported donation from the Japan Dental Association, but the 100 million yen question is: Who was controlling the purse strings at the time?
Hashimoto, whose faction until July was the largest in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and a dominant player politics, denied playing any role in managing the funds.
He was summoned to the Tokyo District Court by the counsel for former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka, who allegedly played a key role in gaining a consensus not to issue a receipt for the 100 million yen check to the faction handed personally to Hashimoto by the JDA.