vice president of Japan's main opposition party implicated in funeral funds scandal

The vice president of Japan's main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Toshimi Kitazawa, has been implicated Friday in a possible funding scandal involving illicit donations made from his regional chapter.

Kitazawa, who served as the nation's defense miniature when the DPJ was in power, is under investigation for a possible breach of the Public Offices Election Law, as a political fund report of the chapter of the party in Kitazawa' electoral district in Nagano Prefecture shows that a substantial amount of "condolence money" was given at funerals in the district.

The election law prohibits local chapters of political parties from giving condolence money at funerals held within electoral districts of lawmakers. But between 2009 and 2011, a total of around 900,000 yen (7,328 U.S. dollars) was offered as condolence money at 35 funerals held in Kitazawa's electoral district.

While it has been confirmed that Kitazawa, who was serving as defense miniature at the time in the then ruling DPJ, attended some of the funerals in person, the four-time House of Councillors member's culpability will be based on whether or not he gave condolence money from his own pocket, which is legal, or whether or not the money came from his local chapter or fund management group.

Also under investigation is whether the former defense minister attended the funerals alone or in the company of other lawmakers from his electoral district.

Kitazawa's investigation comes on the heels of reconstruction minister Tsuyoshi Takagi also being suspected of breaking the the Public Offices Election Law by offering funeral condolence money to constituents using political funds.

On Tuesday, Tsuyoshi Takagi, who has also been implicated in a scandal involving the theft of a young women's underwear during a Diet session denied misusing political funds, stating that the gifts he gave to the families of the deceased were paid for by himself.

Takagi blamed his bookkeepers for mixing up his personal and professional expenses in the official political fund reports.

The report shows that Takagi's fund management body and the local LDP chapter he headed spent 160,000 yen between 2011 and 2013 on condolence money.

Takagi also denied accusations he broke into a young women's home and stole her underwear in his hometown of Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture. Takagi has been questioned by the police over the alleged incident, according to media reports, but was not arrested, and has denied the incident to DPJ party member Michiyoshi Yunoki, when questioned about the offense. Endit