Former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Wednesday she may appear before LDP executives next week to respond to allegations that she misused her aides' salaries.
"As I would like to present documents in good form, I would like, if possible, until next week" to prepare, Tanaka told reporters at Liberal Democratic Party headquarters.
Tanaka has conveyed these plans to the political ethics hearing committee of the LDP. The panel was expected to discuss them during a meeting Wednesday afternoon.
The committee decided Monday to give Tanaka another chance to state her case and told her to notify them over whether she would testify in person or submit documents to the committee by Thursday evening.
Tanaka, an LDP lawmaker, has refused to appear before the committee despite repeated calls for a thorough explanation of her actions. In a document her secretary handed to the committee executives, she stated, "I've already fulfilled my obligation."
The executives had previously described Tanaka's attitude as "uncooperative" and in violation of party rules.
They also said the LDP's relationship with her is becoming increasingly strained.
The committee has already questioned Tanaka over the alleged pay misuse, but considers her oral explanation insufficient.
The weekly magazines Shukan Bunshun and Shukan Shincho reported in April that Tanaka misused public funds earmarked as the salaries of her government-paid aides.