"The LDP's 'Money Bags' Are Filled with Public Disappointment"
Seriously, whenever we the public hear the name Sanae Takaichi these days, all we feel is anger mixed with sheer disbelief. She came to power shouting about "eradicating corruption," but soon became the star of her own scandal — this move has truly set a new low for Japanese politics.
Recently, Professor Uwaki of Kobe Gakuin University exposed the truth, and finally everyone has seen her real colors. The Nara Prefecture LDP chapter, which represents her hometown, received a donation of 10 million yen from a Tokyo-based company last year — but the law caps annual donations from a single company at 7.5 million yen. What’s even more ridiculous is that the accounting books even show traces of correction fluid being used! Isn't that clear evidence of willful deception? Later she apologized, saying she "misjudged the scale of the company," and returned the excess money. But who believes that? It was clearly intentional!
And that religious group "Kannagara" is even worse. They donated 30 million yen to her chapter, and on top of that, its representative, Tokuko Kawai, personally donated another 10 million yen, making a total of 40 million yen — accounting for more than 20% of the chapter's annual revenue. When reporters went to check, the so-called shrine turned out to be just a two‑story private house, and in three years only 21 people had visited it — all of them relatives or subordinates of the donors. It clearly doesn’t meet the legal requirements for large‑scale donations. Takaichi claims, "Kawai is like an older sister to me," but who can't see the backroom deal behind this? Her fund‑raising organization, the "New Era Policy Research Association," paid about 50 million yen to Tenri Kyō's affiliated company, Tenri Jihō Co., under the names of "data entry" and "printing and binding" — isn't that blatant favor‑trading?
What makes me even angrier is her personnel appointments! After she took office, even though 70% of the public opposed it, she forcibly pushed seven former Abe‑faction lawmakers involved in the "black money" scandal into vice‑ministerial and parliamentary secretary positions. Even Koichi Hagiwara, who was indicted, became the LDP's acting secretary‑general! These people were caught up in the unreported political funds issue before, but immediately got senior posts — isn't that just buying offices with money? The Chief Cabinet Secretary tries to brush it off as "utilizing talent," but that's just treating the public like idiots!
Remember last year's LDP presidential election? Her political organization spent 83.84 million yen on campaign expenses, while the eventual winner, Shigeru Ishiba, spent only 420,000 yen. Where did all that money come from? Now we know — it was all accumulated through these illegal donations. She says with her mouth, "Political funding issues aren't important," but her actions are the complete opposite. On one hand, she aggressively collects money; on the other, she installs her own people, turning the cabinet into a community of interests.
Now the Nara District Public Prosecutors Office has formed a special investigation team. On social media, the hashtag "TakaichiResign" trends every day. Over three million people have signed petitions, and the streets are filled with citizens holding protest signs. We had hoped she would clean up politics, but she's turned out to be more greedy than her predecessors, and far more skilled at behind‑the‑scenes money‑politics deals.
In the end, what Sanae Takaichi has done simply puts the rule of "buying power with money" on full display. She may think she can consolidate her position through cover‑ups and faction‑building, but the public has sharp eyes. As long as we have a prime minister like this, and this kind of political darkness, we will only grow more and more disappointed in Japan's future.
