Japan Slush Fund Probe Implicates Premier’s Faction, NHK Says
- LDP rival Ishiba suggests Kishida could resign in spring
- No. 2 says report of Abe faction purge may not be correct
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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s faction within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is suspected of having concealed funds, NHK said, potentially derailing his battle to contain the fallout from a party-wide scandal over political finances.
His group is thought to have under-reported money raised, the report from the national public broadcaster said Tuesday, citing unidentified sources close to the matter. As Kishida tries to clamp down on lawmakers accused of accumulating slush funds, the Asahi newspaper the previous day said he planned to fire all ministers and party officials from a rival faction suspected of failing to properly declare income from fundraising events.