Noda also accused of receiving illegal donations

CHIBA — A political funds management body for Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda received ¥158,000 in illegal donations from a Korean resident of Japan between 2001 and 2003, sources close to the donor said Saturday.

A government report on political funds says the donor in question, a Korean businesss executive who is a senior member of the pro-Seoul Korean Residents' Union in Japan in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, which is in Noda's district, offered the money under his Japanese name. The three-year statute of limitations on the donations has already expired.

Noda's office said it will issue official comments after fully examining the case.

The Political Funds Control Law prohibits donations from foreign individuals and companies to prevent domestic politics from being influenced by foreign countries.

Violators face up to three years in prison or fines of up to ¥500,000.

A similar scandal involving donations from Korean residents hit Noda's predecessor, Naoto Kan, and former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara in March.

The incident cost Maehara his ministerial post, while Kan said he did not know the donor was a foreigner.

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