Six members of the Liberal Democratic Party Mogi faction, including Chairman Sekiguchi of the House of Councilors, resign.

In response to issues surrounding the LDP's faction's political funding party, six members of the Mogi faction, including House of Councilors Chairman Sekiguchi, resigned on the 31st.

Three of them, House of Councilors Chairman Sekiguchi, Fukuoka House of Councilors Policy Deliberation Chairman, and House of Councilors Diet Measures Committee Chairman Ishii, submitted their resignation to the Mogi faction on the afternoon of the 31st.

Afterwards, Mr. Sekiguchi told reporters, ``As the Liberal Democratic Party is going to carry out difficult things from now on, including political reform, I have decided as the House of Councilors chairman to first leave my faction.The other House of Councilors executives have also decided to leave the faction. I feel the same way."

In addition, on the 31st, three members of the Mogi faction, former Economic Planning Agency Director Funada, former Justice Minister Furukawa, and former Reconstruction Minister Nishime, submitted their respective resignations to the faction.

Mr. Funada told reporters, ``I have been saying that it is important to have a process where all factions are exposed and a new policy group is formed after a certain period of time, but now we are in a situation where a policy group is being formed in a different way. It seems like things are getting worse, so I decided to leave."

In the Mogi faction, election committee chairman Obuchi and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki's eldest son, House of Councilors member Kazuhiko Aoki, have so far resigned, meaning a total of eight people have left the faction.