Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Hiroaki Tabata registered people as party members without their permission and tried to cover up the wrongdoing, a person involved in the matter has said.

Tabata, elected from Toyama Prefecture’s No. 1 constituency to the House of Representatives, admitted during a press conference Friday night that his office had registered people for LDP membership without their consent, including employees of two companies that support him.

The lawmaker said there were 262 improperly registered membership registrations, including people who do not exist. But he denied personal involvement in the practice.