Tag - funds

 
 

FUNDS

Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Toshihiro Nikai addresses a news conference Monday after he announced that he will not run in the next general election amid the political funds scandal engulfing his party.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 28, 2024
Why LDP elder Nikai's announcement is a big deal (and isn't)
Despite portraying it as a move to preserve Nikai's legacy, it's seen as a proactive attempt to insulate himself and his associates from further scrutiny.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends an Upper House Budget Committee session on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2024
Ex-PM Yoshiro Mori may face LDP probe over kickback scheme
The target and scope of such an investigation has yet to be decided, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says.
Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Toshihiro Nikai announces that he will not run in the next Lower House election during a news conference at LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024
LDP heavyweight Nikai says he won't run for reelection
Toshihiro Nikai, 85, said he had conveyed his decision to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as the LDP grapples with an ongoing political funds scandal.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who serves concurrently as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, attends the party's convention on March 17 in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 24, 2024
LDP eyes serious punishments for four senior members over funds scandal
All four are senior members of the LDP's largest faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with nonendorsement among possible penalties.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi delivers a speech during during the party's 91st convention in Tokyo on March 17.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 23, 2024
LDP secretary-general vows to dole out tough punishments over funds scandal
The remarks came at the first session of the LDP's regional roundtable dialogue on political reform, aimed at reflecting the voices of its local branches.
The opposition has no means to force the six current and former Liberal Democratic Party members to testify in parliament without the agreement from the party's leadership, starting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who concurrently serves as party president.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 20, 2024
Kishida weighs demand for sworn testimonies to clear air on scandal
Opposition parties want six current and former LDP members to testify before parliament on their knowledge of party fundraising kickbacks.
Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Fumio Kishida delivers a speech during the LDP's 91st party convention in Tokyo on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2024
What is being missed about the funding scandal
In discussions about the LDP funding scandal, certain considerations are missing. Beyond lambasting the party, these must be addressed for a clear vision.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Hakubun Shimomura attends a Lower House ethics committee meeting in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 18, 2024
Shimomura testimony fails to shed light on LDP funds scandal
Former Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Hakubun Shimomura had hinted that he would finally provide some answers to key questions.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses the Liberal Democratic Party's annual convention in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 17, 2024
LDP amends party rules to toughen penalties for political fund violations
The LDP also pledged to move away from factions as vehicles for securing funds and allocating major government and party posts.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a meeting of executives of LDP regional chapters in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 16, 2024
Kishida vows to revive LDP after funds scandal
The LDP will boost efforts toward a revival, Kishida said at a meeting of executives of the party's regional chapters.
There are growing calls within the LDP to query former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori (left) over his possible involvement in the scandal. While Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said that the party would discuss hearing directly from those involved, he did not offer specific examples of who he had in mind.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 15, 2024
Shimomura to testify amid growing calls to query Mori over funds scandal
The former LDP policy chief's testimony before an ethics committee could pressure the ex-PM to disclose what he knows about the kickback scheme.
Relations between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (left) and LDP Vice President Taro Aso (right) have been strained since January, when the prime minister announced that he was dissolving his own faction, which took both of them by surprise.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 15, 2024
How can Kishida punish lawmakers involved in the slush funds scandal?
Next month's by-elections and party polls later this year put the prime minister in a tough spot.
Hiroshige Seko, a former Upper House secretary-general of the LDP, told the Upper House ethics committee in Tokyo on Thursday that he was never directly involved in the handling of the Abe faction’s funds.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 14, 2024
Upper House Abe faction members deny involvement in slush fund scandal
Opposition lawmakers targeted the lack of clarity over the decision to continue a kickback scheme after Abe’s death in 2022.
Former Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto has announced her intention to appear before an Upper House political ethics committee scheduled to convene on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 12, 2024
Three members of Abe faction to attend Upper House ethics hearing
But other lawmakers embroiled in the LDP slush fund scandal have largely indicated that they don't intend to testify.
LDP Youth Division leaders Takashi Fujiwara (left) and Yasutaka Nakasone submitted their resignations to the party headquarters last Friday over an event hosted by the party's Wakayama chapter last November that featured female dancers in revealing outfits.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 11, 2024
After slush funds, LDP now faces fresh scandals
An event that featured dancers in revealing outfits and an affair with a Canadian saxophone player have resulted in three resignations in the past week.
The approval rating for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet has hit a fresh low of 20.1%, according to a new survey.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 10, 2024
Kishida Cabinet support rate hits fresh low at 20% over funds scandal
The poll also showed 91.4% believe LDP lawmakers involved in the funds scandal have not been held accountable.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a ruling Liberal Democratic Party meeting in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 8, 2024
LDP to revise rules to ban traditional factions
The draft revisions include tougher penalties for political funds control law violations.
LDP secretary-general Toshimitsu Motegi has asserted that he handled his funds "appropriately" in compliance with the political funds control law.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 7, 2024
Motegi-linked organization transferred funds to group with lighter disclosure rules
A group associated with the LDP heavyweight transferred a large sum over several years, making it impossible to trace how the money was used.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives for a meeting of a parliamentary ethics committee at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Feb. 29.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 7, 2024
Kishida's three challenges: Discipline, by-elections and Motegi
How the prime minister handles these matters could impact his political future as well as that of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during an Upper House Budget Committee session on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 4, 2024
Kishida denies intent to dissolve Lower House in April
The prime minister was grilled on his reason for rushing the passage of the government's fiscal 2024 draft budget last week.

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