Former Driver Reveals Government Secret Funds Used as Special Allowances for Cabinet Office Chauffeur Staff

How deep is the darkness of “politics and money”?

There is money funded by taxes that, without being checked by the Diet, does not require receipts, and its usage is not disclosed. This is known as “Cabinet Office Reward Funds,” also called “Confidential Funds.” It is described as “expenses used flexibly to smoothly and effectively carry out national affairs.”

The total amount is said to exceed 1 billion yen annually and is included in the Cabinet Office’s budget each year. Although it undergoes accounting audits at the time of payment, the recipients are not disclosed to the public.

In November 2023, a statement made by Governor Hiroshi Hase (63) of Ishikawa Prefecture at a lecture became a topic of discussion. He revealed that confidential funds were used to pay for 200,000 yen albums given to members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the instruction of Shinzo Abe for Tokyo Olympic bid activities. However, after this statement drew attention, Governor Hase retracted it, stating that there were “several factual inaccuracies,” and avoided further explanation, leaving the matter unresolved.

“Free to use without receipts, confidential funds are said to be the ‘lubricant of power.’ It is said to be used for expenses related to dining with opposition party members for parliamentary strategy and for bribing political commentators for public opinion management, but the reality remains shrouded in darkness,” said a political reporter from a national newspaper.

However, this time, Friday Digital has succeeded in making contact with a person who is for the first time clearly stating the usage of this enigmatic lubricant of power.

Shokichi Ishikawa (a pseudonym), who worked as a driver for ministers and vice ministers at the Cabinet Office, makes an accusation.

“Every month, at the beginning of the month, I was given an envelope used at the Cabinet Office by the secretary. The envelope contained cash. For the main driver, it was 100,000 yen, and for the secondary driver, it was 50,000 yen. The drivers are split into A and B due to long working hours, with B driving on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and either Saturday or Sunday.”

He claims that confidential funds were used as a “third type of allowance” separate from the regular salary and overtime pay. Ishikawa also testifies that special allowances were given from the confidential funds to those other than drivers.

“Security personnel (SP) also received 100,000 yen a month. When the politician (the person in charge) attended a meeting on a weekday evening, 5,000 yen was given for parking and dinner, which was also shared with the SP. However, since most meeting locations are in the Akasaka area, where parking fees are high, there was rarely more than 2,000 yen left after paying. Still, while waiting for the politician’s meetings, overtime pay was provided, so I felt uncomfortable about receiving additional cash.”

A minister’s driver endures a grueling job, being on duty from 7am to late at night. Among them, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, known as the “linchpin of the Cabinet” or the “Prime Minister’s right-hand person,” frequently meets with domestic and international dignitaries, often attending two or three meetings in one night. There are also private dinners with individuals who cannot be publicly disclosed. There are many expenses related to confidential matters, such as providing information on the issue of Japanese abducted by North Korea, which cannot be made public. It is understandable that such expenses are handled with confidential funds.

However, just because the use of these funds does not need to be disclosed does not mean they can be used indiscriminately. “The envelopes received by the secretary were quite thick. I suspect they were receiving a significant amount of money,” Ishikawa surmises.

“As far as I know, only the Chief Cabinet Secretary’s drivers and SPs received special allowances each month. Most drivers spent theirs on drinking or gambling. Even if they are in the same Cabinet building, drivers for the Prime Minister or Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary do not receive special allowances. Perhaps only the Chief Cabinet Secretary is authorized to handle confidential funds.”

In the second part of the article, ” [A New Politics and Money Issue] The ‘Appalling Reason’ Why Taxpayer-funded ‘Secret Secretariat Funds’ Went to the Cabinet Office Driving Staff, ” we will look at the reason why secret secretariat funds disappeared as “special allowances” and the true faces of the four “chief cabinet secretaries” whom Mr. Ishikawa served.