Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a speech in Hiroshima on Oct. 24. (Ryohei Miyawaki)

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed indignation over “biased” media reports on how his Liberal Democratic Party has provided money to branches headed by members disciplined in the political funding scandal.

“I am truly outraged that such reports are appearing at a time like this,” Ishiba said on Oct. 24 at an election campaign rally in Hiroshima. “We cannot be defeated by such reports. We cannot be defeated by such biased views, either.”

The payments from LDP headquarters were reported by various media organizations, including the Akahata (red flag) newspaper of the Japanese Communist Party and The Asahi Shimbun, on Oct. 23, during the final stretch of campaigning for the Oct. 27 Lower House election.

The LDP branches that received the funds are headed by party members who were denied official party endorsement in the election as punishment for their role in the scandal.

Ishiba stressed that the payments to the branches were not intended for the non-endorsed candidates’ campaigns.

“I want people to understand the LDP’s pledges and policies. With that in mind, (the party) is paying (activity fees) to party branches, and not to the non-endorsed candidates,” Ishiba said.

The branches headed by the non-endorsed politicians each received 20 million yen from LDP headquarters.

The same amount was distributed to each officially endorsed LDP candidate in the election.

In response to the media reports, LDP headquarters on Oct. 24 issued an internal document to officially endorsed candidates and their camps.

The document, which The Asahi Shimbun obtained, emphasized there were no legal problems with any of the money that was transferred.

“The head of the party branch who was not officially endorsed by the LDP cannot use the money for his or her own election campaign,” the document, titled “Regarding media reports on our party’s branches’ political subsidies,” said.

It was issued under the name of LDP President Ishiba and Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama.

The document also stated, “Quite unlike the ‘politics and money’ issue, (the payments to branches) are clean both legally and ethically.”

It explained the purpose of the money was “to stimulate branch activities and expand party membership.”

According to an LDP official, the party has received inquiries about the media reports, and the internal document was issued “to avoid confusion among candidates.”

One non-endorsed candidate, Tsuyoshi Takagi, 68, is seeking re-election from the Fukui No. 2 district.

Effectively running as an independent, Takagi said in a statement on Oct. 24 that the LDP’s Fukui No. 2 branch, which he heads, has received a subsidy of 20 million yen from LDP headquarters.

Takagi said the money was given to the branch for “party expansion activities.”

“In accordance with that purpose, we will make appropriate expenditures for the expansion of the party in the future,” he said.

Takagi was one of the “big five” influential members of the Abe faction in the LDP. He served as secretary-general of the faction until it announced its dissolution due to the scandal.

Takagi was deemed responsible for failing to report 10.19 million yen in income gained from fund-raising parties.

His LDP membership was suspended for six months until Oct. 4.

“I deeply regret this, and I also take very seriously my failure to obtain official endorsement from the party,” Takagi said in the Oct. 24 statement.

He added, “It is not my intention to raise suspicions that the subsidized money will be used for election purposes.”

According to the Fukui prefectural election administration committee, the branch was dissolved on May 20 and re-established on Oct. 9.

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