Japanese Prosecutors Investigate Four Key Abe Faction Members Over LDP Slush Fund Allegations

Japanese prosecutors investigating the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) slush fund scandal have focused their investigation on key figures within the Abe faction, the largest faction within the LDP.

On the 25th, Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's Special Investigation Division had questioned four key members of the Abe faction by the previous day in connection with allegations of slush fund creation.

Officials from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's Special Investigation Division entered the office of the Liberal Democratic Party faction 'Nikaipa' in Tokyo on the morning of the 19th to conduct a search and seizure. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Those investigated included former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, former LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Tsuyoshi Takagi, former LDP House of Councillors Secretary-General Hiroshige Seko, and former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and LDP faction leader Ry? Shionoya. Yomiuri described it as "unprecedented for politicians who held key positions in the Cabinet and ruling party to be questioned by investigative authorities."

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's Special Investigation Division also conducted a search of the Abe faction's office on the 19th.

The Abe faction is accused of hosting political fundraising events (parties) and distributing money exceeding the allocated quota of "party tickets" to lawmakers who sold more than their quota. They are suspected of not reporting these excess amounts in official reports and ledgers, thereby creating slush funds. It has been confirmed that over the five years from 2018 to 2022, Abe faction lawmakers generated slush funds amounting to approximately 500 million yen (about 460 million KRW) through the oversale of party tickets.

Kyodo News reported that prosecutors likely investigated whether former Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno, who served as secretary-general overseeing faction affairs for two years starting in September 2019, and current secretary-general Takagi were involved in the slush fund creation process and what information they received from the faction's accounting officer.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose approval ratings have dropped to the 10-20% range due to the LDP slush fund scandal, consulted with new LDP executives on response measures on the same day. Kyodo News reported that Kishida told reporters, "We will respond resolutely, including establishing an organization to restore the party's trust as early as possible in the new year." However, Kishida refrained from commenting on the prosecutors' investigation into the Abe faction executives within the LDP.