Charges of illegal donations hound Abe

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has already lost three ministers to political funding scandals, faced questions on Tuesday over claims that a branch of his ruling party received illegal donations.

Abe, who swept to power in late 2012 on a ticket to revive the economy, told parliament he “didn’t know” that two firms had given money to the Liberal Democratic Party within a year of receiving government subsidies—a violation of strict political funding laws.