The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is looking to call former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to appear in the Diet and address allegations that his camp illegally used political funds to pay for dinner parties, sources with knowledge of the matter said Thursday.
The move is aimed at avoiding a public outcry over the scandal that could erode support for Abe's successor, Yoshihide Suga, the sources said. Abe, who stepped down in September but remains an LDP lawmaker, could make an appearance before the end of the year, they said.
Opposition parties have demanded that Abe answer allegations that a group that manages his political funds paid more than ¥9 million between 2015 and 2019 to cover part of the cost of dinner parties held at luxury hotels and attended by voters from his constituency in Yamaguchi Prefecture.