Kyodo
Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, who hopes to become the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's next leader, said Saturday he received a combined ¥590,000 in illegal contributions from four foreign nationals and a firm headed by a foreigner between 2005 and 2010.
Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, Maehara said he has already returned the money to the donors. The storm over the political donations forced him to quit the Cabinet in March. The Political Funds Control Law bans contributions from foreign individuals to ensure domestic politics is not influenced by foreign countries
Maehara said he knew that the four individuals were foreign residents but was unaware they had made the donations. As for the company, he said he did not know its representative director was a foreigner.
"You normally don't ask the nationality of someone you meet for the first time," he said.
Maehara resigned as foreign minister after admitting he received ¥50,000 from one of the four individuals, a South Korean woman who is a permanent resident of Japan and who reportedly went by a Japanese name. The woman lives in Kyoto and Maehara said he has known her since childhood. Around that time, the Liberal Democratic Party alleged he had received illegal donations totaling more than ¥200,000