In response to the incident surrounding the political funding party of a faction of the Liberal Democratic Party, Prime Minister Kishida repeatedly apologized during the intensive deliberations of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, saying that he had caused a serious situation that would damage the public's trust, and expressed his desire to restore the public's trust. He emphasized the idea of working on constant reforms toward the future.
Prior to Prime Minister Kishida's policy speech on the 30th, the House of Representatives Budget Committee held intensive deliberations on the topic of political funding, attended by Prime Minister Kishida and relevant ministers.
At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida said, ``As the president of the Liberal Democratic Party, I would like to offer my sincere apologies for causing a very serious situation that has damaged the public's trust.In addition, I would like to resign from my position as a cabinet minister, vice minister, parliamentary secretary, etc. in connection with the incident.'' ``I immediately appointed a successor cabinet minister and others.As the person responsible for the appointment, I take very seriously my responsibility for causing this situation.''
Furthermore, in response to the interim report of the Political Reform Headquarters decided by the party last week, ``While we are proceeding with operational reforms such as the transparency of political funds and thorough compliance, we will continue to work with each party to reform the system. After earnest discussions with each faction, we will move forward with the necessary legal reforms, such as amending the Political Funds Control Act.I will definitely take the lead in implementing this.''
He also emphasized, ``Political reform never ends. We will continue to have thorough discussions at the party's political reform headquarters and work on constant reforms to restore public trust in politics.''