Abe says no request from Trump over casinos

January 27, 2020

Tokyo--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he has never received any request from U.S. President Donald Trump over Tokyo's plan to introduce casinos in Japan.

At a meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Abe said he held talks with a casino operator during a trip to the United States in February 2017. He added that the operator did not show any willingness to do business in Japan.

Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga denied an allegation that Tsukasa Akimoto, former state minister for casino policy and former member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, lobbied them over the development of casino resorts.

Akimoto has been charged with taking bribes from a Chinese company planning to run a casino resort in Japan.

The prime minister brushed aside opposition criticism of a transfer of a large amount of money from the LDP to the local chapters of a couple in the party before the House of Councillors election last year.

"There is no problem with transfers of political funds from a party's headquarters to branches," Abe said.

He did not clearly answer a question of whether he was aware of the transfer of a total of 150 million yen from the LDP to local chapters for former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai and his wife, Anri.

The prime minister merely said, "I leave the management of political funds to the party's headquarters." Jiji Press