LDP Revives Political Fundraisers with Ishiba Ally’s Participation
After a brief spell of warm spring-like weather, Tokyo was suddenly hit by the harshness of winter on March 4. Just past 11 a.m., a man in a suit hurried out of a hotel near Nagatacho, the political center of Japan, and got into a waiting car. His expression seemed to carry a sense of fulfillment for some reason.
That man was House of Representatives member Yoshihisa Furukawa (59). The event held at the hotel was a seminar titled “Steering the Course of the Times,” with an attendance fee of 20,000 yen. The invitation obtained by this magazine included a small note stating, “This is a political fundraising party.”
After graduating from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law, Furukawa joined the Ministry of Construction (now the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) before running as an independent candidate in 2003 and winning his first election. He later joined the LDP with additional endorsement but left the party after voting against then-Prime Minister Koizumi’s postal privatization bill. He later returned to the LDP and has since held various government positions, including Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Environment, and Deputy Minister of Finance. Under the Kishida Cabinet, he served as Minister of Justice and is now a veteran LDP lawmaker with eight election wins.
“Furukawa was the first Secretary-General of the now-dissolved Suigetsukai faction, formerly led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (68), serving for over three years. The Secretary-General is essentially the faction’s treasurer. After moving to the Motegi faction, which has also since disbanded, he is now unaffiliated with any faction. However, in the previous LDP presidential election, he voted for Ishiba in the runoff. It is widely known that he still has a close relationship with Prime Minister Ishiba,” said a political reporter from a major national newspaper.
The LDP must also change to adapt to the times
A supporter who attended the party, which started at 10 AM, described the scene:
“All 180 prepared seats were filled, and additional seats were added at the back. I was surprised that nearly 200 people attended. Perhaps it’s because of his close ties to Prime Minister Ishiba. He is a calm person and spoke steadily about his views during the lecture. He also mentioned something like, ‘The LDP must change its way of thinking to adapt to the times,’ which reinforced my impression that he shares the same liberal mindset as Ishiba. The lecture lasted about 40 minutes, and the event ended immediately after. The takeaway gift was a MAISEN katsu sandwich, a burger, and tea. Since he is neither a second-generation politician nor affiliated with any faction, he probably has no choice but to raise funds on his own.”
In December last year, it was revealed that Furukawa’s political organization had failed to report a total of 710,000 yen in political fundraising party ticket purchases over the two years from 2022 to 2023, leading to corrections in his political funding reports. Perhaps the sense of fulfillment on his face earlier came from the relief of having successfully completed the party.
Former Prime Minister Kishida also attended the party
The series of under-the-table money scandals has been exposed and pursued by Professor Hiroyuki Kamiwaki of Kobe Gakuin University, who states:
“The political funds law revision proposal from last June remains unclear, and even now, with political fundraising parties being revealed as a breeding ground for illicit funds, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has not expressed any intention to ban them. This deeply ingrained nature of the LDP is likely what has led to the quiet resurgence of these parties behind the scenes.”
Friday Digital has independently investigated and reported on political fundraising parties held by LDP lawmakers. In July 2024, it covered House of Representatives member Hiroshige Sekō (then a House of Councillors member at the time of reporting), House of Councillors member Rui Matsukawa, and in August 2024, House of Representatives member Sō Yamaguchi. In all these cases, there were no visible signs at the venue, and invitations were only sent to supporters, keeping the events discreet. Similarly, for Representative Furukawa’s recent party, only a small notice was placed on the hotel’s information board.
“In the past, political fundraising parties prominently displayed large signs and invited the media. The fact that this is no longer the case underscores how significant the under-the-table money scandal has become. It’s a stark contrast to the past,” said the aforementioned political journalist.
On February 15, a House of Councillors member from Nagasaki invited former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as a speaker for a political fundraising party in Nagasaki City, with an attendance fee of 20,000 yen. That evening, a separate social gathering was held with Kishida for 15,000 yen. The hosting lawmaker insisted that the event was at cost and not a political fundraising party. However, across the country, these fundraising events are making a quiet comeback. Professor Kamiwaki continues:
“The fact that they are conducting these events discreetly suggests they are aware of their dubious nature. Ultimately, the practice of using political fundraising parties to collect funds remains unchanged. The expenses for these events are minimal—mainly venue fees, light refreshments, and souvenirs—leading to incredibly high profit margins. Essentially, they function the same as political donations. Moreover, large corporations buy tickets in bulk, yet there is no way to track exactly how much they are purchasing, making it easy to create slush funds.
Former Prime Minister Kishida, under whose administration the slush fund scandal was exposed, is now openly participating as a guest speaker at these fundraising parties. There seems to be no sign of remorse—if anything, he is paving the way for their resurgence. The slush fund issue within the Tokyo LDP Federation also reflects the party’s ingrained approach to illicit funding.
Currently, in the National Diet, debates between the ruling and opposition parties continue following the testimony of the former accounting officer of the dissolved Abe faction. Yet, even now, the LDP refuses to disclose who ordered the revival of the over-quota fundraising ticket kickbacks. If they truly want to regain the public’s trust, they must have the resolve to clarify who gave the directive.”
This year marks an election-heavy period with both the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly elections and the House of Councillors elections approaching. With these elections in mind, LDP lawmakers are scrambling, showing little regard for appearances.
Interview and text by： Atsuo Hase PHOTO： Kyodo News (1st photo), Takero Yuzuna (2nd-3rd photos)
