Japan Opposition thinks the Prime Minister's office may have used public funds to cover the cost of a dinner party for Mr Abe's supporters.

Supporter of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe only has to pay 5,000 yen (46 USD) to attend the annual cherry blossom viewing party, much lower than the minimum fee of 11,000 yen (110 USD) that attendees average often paid, Jun Azumi, deputy secretary general of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, told the press on November 16.

Azumi said this raised suspicions that the Prime Minister's office may have paid money to support his supporters, in violation of national election laws.

Prime Minister Abe denied the allegation, claiming the 5,000 yen price was reasonable because the majority of attendees were at the hotel which was the venue for the banquet and the price set by the hotel operator.

However, documents collected and published by Kyodo today show the contradictions in Abe's statement.

Accordingly, since 2013, the Prime Minister's office has organized a dinner for supporters on the eve of the cherry blossom viewing party. Documents prepared by the Prime Minister's office and distributed to supporters show that the dinner party was held at the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo in 2015, while attendees at other hotels, in contrast to the statement. Abe's father.

The office arranged a shuttle for the guests from their hotel to the dinner venue in 2015. A participant said there were a total of 10 buses to transport them.

In 2017, the office prepared two hotels for backers to stay, including New Otani, where the party was held. This year, backers can ask the office to arrange for them to stay at New Otani or another hotel of their choice.

Attendance is 5,000 yen for dinner in 2015, 2017 and 2019, according to this document.

Prime Minister Abe's secretary at the local office in Yamaguchi prefecture, western Japan, declined to comment. A New Otani hotel representative said they could not comment on the customer.

Mr. Abe was recently criticized for inviting hundreds of his supporters to Tokyo for a cherry blossom viewing party, accusing the Japanese government of canceling the flower viewing event next year. The Japanese government plans to conduct a comprehensive review of how to organize the event, which honors those who achieved national achievements for the year.