As the rift between ruling and opposition parties deepened Tuesday over the questioning of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers embroiled in a recent slush fund scandal, three members of the faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced their intention to appear before an Upper House political ethics committee scheduled to convene on Thursday.
Former Upper House Secretary-General Hiroshige Seko, former Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto and Upper House lawmaker Shoji Nishida will face questioning for underreporting excess income collected from fundraising parties that totaled approximately ¥15.4 million ($104,000), ¥20 million and ¥4.1 million respectively.
This will be the first time that an Upper House ethics committee convenes. The three lawmakers will be questioned in front of the cameras for approximately 90 minutes, after brief initial remarks.