Political parties and groups raised 132.8 billion yen in funds during 2005, down 3.8 percent, or 5.3 billion yen, from the previous year, the lowest since the bubble economy collapsed in the early 1990s, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said Thursday.
Spending reported by political groups fell 2.8 percent, or 4.0 billion yen, to 135.8 billion yen, the second-lowest level in the post-bubble years, after the 124.6 billion yen reported in 2002.
The amount of political funds usually increases in an election year, but the report shows political parties and groups failed to boost their funds in 2005, when the House of Representatives was dissolved in August for a general election in September.
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