JAPAN

Japanese Agency Reports on Payoffs: Japanese companies handed out at least $446 million in illegal donations to politicians or in shady payoffs to butter up clients, according to a government tax report published last week. In the year ended in June, 12% of the 4,700 corporations checked by officials were guilty of concealing large amounts of money used for dubious purposes, the National Tax Administration Agency said. Top politicians have been implicated in a series of fund scandals over the last few years involving illegal political donations by companies seeking favors. Companies also traditionally hand out money to clients to win lucrative contracts. The tax agency fingered Japanese construction firms as the biggest offenders.