Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is seen in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Dec. 6, 2021. (Mainichi/Masahiro Ogawa)

       TOKYO -- A special investigative unit of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has decided again not to indict former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in connection with spending on functions held the night before controversial sakura-viewing parties.

       In July, a committee for the inquest of prosecution deemed prosecutors' decision not to indict Abe on a charge of violating the Public Offices Election Act as "inappropriate." During renewed investigation, public prosecutors interviewed a wide range of people who participated in the dinner functions, but determined it difficult to prove the provided food's value exceeded the participation fee and therefore constituted donations banned under the law.

       The inquest committee's initial judgment that it was inappropriate to not prosecute Abe is not on par with a judgment that he deserves prosecution, meaning it has no means to force his indictment through a renewed screening. Prosecutors' latest decision therefore concludes the investigation against Abe.

       The dinner functions were held at Tokyo hotels between 2013 and 2019, with a participation fee of 5,000 yen each. The revenue from collected fees was not enough to cover payment to the hotels, and between 2016 and 2019, Abe's office forked out a total of 7.08 million yen (about $61,650) to make up the difference. Suspicions arose that this amount constituted an illegal donation to voters.

       (Japanese original by Kazuya Shimura, Yujiro Futamura, Ai Kunimoto and Tomonori Matsuo, Tokyo City News Department)

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