New Democratic Party Member Exposes Shocking Use of Old Communication Expenses

Physical checkup and suit expenses

“The communication expenses are transferred twice a month, on the 10th and at the end of the month, to the individual bank accounts of the legislators. In my case, my office and I split it 50-50. When I became a minister, I had a driver and security personnel, and I gave them a small monthly token of appreciation of 30,000 yen, which I covered using the communication expenses. I also used it to entertain bureaucrats at high-end clubs and restaurants. Many offices in the Liberal Democratic Party split the funds, but since it’s deposited into individual accounts, there were lawmakers who pocketed the full amount and used it to rent rooms in Tokyo for papakatsu (dating for money),” explained a former LDP minister.

While some lawmakers and their offices, without any discipline, used the funds freely, are those from the Japan Innovation Party and the Democratic Party for the People who voluntarily disclose their expenditures free from any issues?

“Mr. Takezume’s (a member of the Democratic Party for the People) spending is suspicious,” a veteran secretary of the party added.

“The use of these funds is up to the individual legislator’s discretion, but in these times, it’s natural to separate public and private matters. However, Mr. Takezume has listed expenses for health checkups and expensive suits. The party headquarters only mechanically uploads the receipts submitted by each office without checking the details, and it became a topic of discussion that it could cause trouble if discovered.”

On the Democratic Party for the People’s website, if you select “Information Disclosure” and then “Use of Research and Public Relations Travel Expenses” and click on “Takezume Hitoshi,” you will find a receipt dated July 3, 2023, for a health checkup at Shiodome Medical Clinic, showing an amount of 65,500 yen for a day-trip checkup and gastroscopy.

There is also a high-priced receipt from September 11, 2023, from Eikokuya Ginza 3-chome store, for a total of 1,117,700 yen under gift expenses.

Among the 17 lawmakers from the Democratic Party for the People who disclose their expenses, only Takezume listed the cost of a health checkup and, similarly, only he listed a receipt for over a million yen for a suit from a long-established tailor in Ginza.

“Before becoming a legislator, Takezume worked for Tokyo Electric Power Company, later seconded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and stationed in Thailand. He prides himself on being fluent in Thai. He comes from the TEPCO labor union and won the election, though he lacks visibility. His office isn’t frequently visited by reporters, so it seems the handling of the funds might have been careless, thinking it wouldn’t attract attention,” the same secretary remarked.