Regarding the issue surrounding the political funding party of the Liberal Democratic Party faction, Prime Minister Kishida will hold interviews on the 27th with executives who discussed the handling of kickbacks from the Abe faction.
The party executive will consider hearing from other parties if necessary in order to make a decision on punishment next week.
Regarding this issue, on the 26th, Prime Minister Kishida, along with Secretary-General Motegi and Chairman of the Board of Governors Moriyama, held separate interviews with Abe's supporters Shioya, former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Shimomura, former Chairman of the Policy Research Institute.
Although the Abe faction decided in April of last year to stop kickbacks at the direction of former Prime Minister Abe, who was its chairman at the time, the kickbacks continued even after Mr. Shioya and four others discussed how to handle them in August. The hearing focused on the content of this executive meeting.
According to those involved, no facts that would lead to clarifying the actual situation were revealed.
The party's executive committee holds that the four people are responsible for not stopping the kickbacks, and is considering punishment beyond ``non-recognition of elections,'' the fourth-heaviest punishment under the party's constitution. The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and former House of Councilors Secretary-General Seko are also scheduled to be heard on the 27th.
We will then decide on specific punishment based on the content of the hearing, and will consider hearing from other parties if necessary in preparation for next week's decision.
On the other hand, opposition parties such as the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan have intensified their criticism that the Liberal Democratic Party is trying to terminate the party by disposing of the relevant members while there is no progress in elucidating the actual situation. We will continue to request that executives be subpoenaed as witnesses.