Kentaro Sonoura, a lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has decided to resign due to a political funds scandal, government sources said Monday, ahead of a spate of local assembly elections next spring.
The resignation of Sonoura would deal a fresh blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the president of the LDP, after three Cabinet members, all of whom are also party lawmakers, were effectively sacked over various scandals in recent months.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is considering issuing a summary indictment against Sonoura on charges of violating the political funds control law before the end of the year, the sources said.