Hatoyama fails to list office rent in political funds report+

TOKYO, Oct. 24 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has not listed the rent of his private office in
Tokyo in the income and expenditure report on political funds of his political
fund management body, though he uses it as a basis for his political
activities, relevant documents showed Saturday.

The failure of the statement could be a violation of the political fund control
law if the expenditure is considered a donation from Hatoyama to the political
fund management body.
One of his secretaries said, ''As the premier pays the rent by himself, the
expenditure is not listed as an office expense.''
Hatoyama opened the private office in February 2003, occupying two rooms in a
building near the parliament house, and the total rent is estimated at more
than 10 million yen annually.
But the fund report of the management body did not list the rent, noting only
1.2 million yen to 3.8 million yen a year of office expenses from 2005 to 2008.
==Kyodo
2009-10-24 23:43:14