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Secret fund comes to light in Japan

For decades Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, a far more politically potent position than the name implies, has had at his disposal a secret fund to tap when instantly available money is needed.
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For decades Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, a far more politically potent position than the name implies, has had at his disposal a secret fund to tap when instantly available money is needed.

A lawsuit launched by a civic group found that at least US$25 million was spent since 2005 by three chief cabinet secretaries to further national interests. Those interests include “gaining co-operation from someone related to important national policies or paying for intelligence provisions.”

The Supreme Court has ruled that how much of the annual US$10 million secret fund budget is spent must be made public, but not what it is spent on.