Hiroyuki Hosoda, speaker of the Lower House, expressed his readiness Thursday to clarify his links with the controversial Unification Church, a lawmaker said, with opposition parties calling for an explanation in the parliament.
During an extraordinary parliamentary session on Wednesday, Kenta Izumi, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, demanded that Hosoda, 78, clarify whether he had received any donations from the religious group.
It is unusual for a lawmaker to direct a question to a Lower House speaker, who plays a neutral role in the chamber.