Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters at a news conference in the Diet building on Dec. 24. (Koichi Ueda)
Prosecutors decided not to indict former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over payments for Tokyo hotel banquets to entertain supporters in his electoral district but brought in a summary indictment against Abe’s top government-paid secretary.
The aide was indicted for failing to report expenses to partly finance the banquets held on the eves of annual cherry blossom-viewing parties hosted by the prime minister.
This constitutes a violation of the political funds control law, according to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.