Japanese → English transcript

This is strange, is it not? Why is there such a breakdown in communication?

Prime Minister Takahata, as I said a moment ago,

people whose names appeared there were found odd by my office staff,

and they got in touch with them. Based on that, I gave the confirmation earlier

in my response. We are handling everything properly in accordance with the law.

If someone who made a donation wishes to receive a tax deduction,

then sending them the necessary documents is only natural, is it not?

Mr. Tatsumi, yet several people are saying

to multiple media outlets that they do not recall making any donations.

Let me confirm this: when did you check directly with

the people whose names appeared there, Prime Minister Takahata?

I did not personally do so. Staff at the Liberal Democratic Party Nara Second District

branch office confirmed it. When was that?

I do not know when, but once I was notified, I read the article.

I thought this was impossible, and most likely,

when the interview was conducted and the article was published, my secretary had already checked.

I received this notice and had to prepare an answer,

so I contacted them to say, this is what happened.

Mr. Tatsumi, when you say “office staff,” do you mean the office’s accounting manager?

Prime Minister Takaichi, do I have to state here and now the personal name

of the person I confirmed it with? I am asking whether it was the accounting manager or not.

I am asking for the individual’s name. Please refrain from disorderly questions.

Please state the person’s name and then ask your question. I asked

a staff member of the Nara Second District branch. Mr. Tatsumi.

Prime Minister, this allegation, you know— Our time has been exceeded.

there is even crucial testimony that tax deduction procedures were actually carried out

despite no donation being made. This is the representative of a corporation in Nara Prefecture,

who says they attended the 2019 party, but for some reason the donation tax deduction…

When these documents were sent when the deduction documents were sent

If, at the time of filing the tax return, you are already going through the deduction procedure, such testimony

has already come out. And unless the prime minister’s office is involved,

these deduction documents cannot be issued, and the office side was complicit in tax evasion—

there is that kind of suspicion.