Embattled Japan PM Volunteers to Appear Before Ethics Panel
- Kishida bets personal appearance will shore up support
- Former ministers will also appear in committee, official says
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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will appear before a parliamentary ethics committee as he seeks to turn the page on a ruling party slush-fund scandal that has undermined his support months ahead of a leadership vote.
If the appearance goes ahead as scheduled from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, it would be the first by a sitting prime minister, the Nikkei newspaper said. Kishida is betting a personal appearance will help dispel public perceptions he hasn’t done enough to clean house.