Prime Minister Kishida plans to hold interviews on the 26th and 27th with four executives, including former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Shioya, who discussed the handling of kickbacks from the Abe faction regarding the issue surrounding the Liberal Democratic Party's faction's political funding party. The executive branch is considering severe punishment for the four people, including disqualifying them from the election, and will make a decision based on the contents of the hearing.
Regarding this issue, the Liberal Democratic Party's executive committee is coordinating to make a decision on the punishment of the members involved next week, before Prime Minister Kishida visits the United States.
Prior to this, Prime Minister Kishida attended the meeting on the 26th and 27th with Secretary-General Motegi and Chairman of the Board of Internal Affairs and Communications Moriyama, along with senior Abe faction members, including former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Shioya, former Chairman of the Policy Research Committee Shimomura, former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nishimura, and former House of Councilors Secretary Seko. We plan to meet with the four chiefs individually and conduct hearings.
The Abe faction decided in April of last year to cancel kickbacks at the direction of former Prime Minister Abe, who was its chairman at the time, but it continued to do so even after four members, including Shioya, who was serving as acting chairman, discussed how to handle them in August. There is a history of backlash.
The executive branch is considering sanctioning the four people over ``non-recognition of elections'', the fourth-heaviest punishment in the party's constitution, as they are responsible for not stopping the kickbacks, and will make a decision based on the contents of the hearing. I'm doing it.
In response, Constitutional Democratic Party Secretary-General Okada said, ``It is not enough to not certify it in the next election, and it is worthy of a recommendation that the members resign.''
The opposition party plans to ask Prime Minister Kishida to inform him of the status of his consideration of sanctions during intensive deliberation at the House of Councilors Budget Committee on the 25th, and to continue subpoenaing senior Abe supporters as witnesses.