Tokyo: Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is considering having member lawmakers involved in a slush funds scandal appear before a parliamentary panel on political ethics, people familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The panel is highly likely to meet shortly as some senior members of the LDP faction once headed by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have indicated their readiness to appear before it, as demanded by opposition parties.

Some ruling coalition officials are calling for the panel to meet shortly before or after the House of Representatives, the all-important chamber of parliament, passes the government’s fiscal 2024 budget possibly early next month.

Opposition parties have demanded that members of the Abe faction and the faction headed by former LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, which are at the center of the scandal, appear before the panel.

A senior LDP official said that the opposition camp would not be satisfied unless someone appears before the panel.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is also LDP president, told reporters that he will urge member lawmakers to fulfill their accountability as politicians at every opportunity.

Former LDP policy chief Koichi Hagiuda, one of five key lawmakers of the Abe faction, told reporters that he would not reject a request to appear before the panel if clear criteria are made public and he is subject to the rules.

Another senior member of the Abe faction said that he would consider appearing before the panel if it becomes clear what kind of questions will be asked.

Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, one of the five key Abe faction lawmakers, said that he would consider whether to appear before the panel if requested after examining the reason for the request.

Opposition parties are considering having members of the two LDP factions appear before the ethics panel as a condition for putting the government budget to a vote at the Lower House.

JIJI Press