NHK has learned from informed sources that data storage devices related to Japanese Lower House member Ikeda Yoshitaka were destroyed before Tokyo prosecutors searched his office and other places last month. He was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of violating the political funds control law.

57-year-old Ikeda is a member of the largest faction of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party, once led by the late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

The prosecutors allege that Ikeda's office received kickbacks worth about 48 million yen, or about 331,000 dollars, from the faction in the five years through 2022, but he conspired with his policy secretary to falsify political funds reports.

The faction is said to have failed to include in its political funds reports kickbacks it paid to the offices of member lawmakers who sold tickets to fundraising events in excess of their quotas.

The prosecutors explained on Sunday that they had arrested Ikeda because they recognized a potential destruction of evidence. They said that in addition to the amount of the money involved, they judged it was highly likely that evidence would be destroyed.

The prosecutors are expected to investigate whether Ikeda was involved in destroying the evidence and other details.