Overview
- Ono Yasumasa reiterated a not-guilty plea in Tokyo District Court, denying any role in falsifying political funds reports and saying he entrusted finances to secretaries.
- Prosecutors say he failed to record about ¥51.54 million in party ticket returns from 2018 to 2022 from the Seiwa Policy Research Council in the Taishikai reports.
- The defense maintains the money was treated as azukarikin, citing advice from a policy aide and Ono's practice of keeping account balances sufficient to repay the faction at any time.
- Prosecutors counter that Ono directed deposits into a credit card payment account and note his office previously booked other faction-related receipts in Taishikai, arguing the returns should have been recorded as donations.
- This was the first defendant questioning of a politician in the series of faction money cases, and co-defendant former secretary Yoshiko Iwata also maintains innocence.