TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio said Thursday that his ruling Liberal Democratic Party will punish member lawmakers involved in a slush funds scandal as early as next week.

“We’ll respond strictly,” Kishida told a press conference, referring to the scandal in which many LDP lawmakers failed to report funds funneled by intraparty factions.

Kishida said he aims to enact a bill to revise the political funds control law to prevent any repeat of the scandal during the current parliamentary session set to end in June.

He said he has no plans to call a snap general election next month. “I’ll focus on issues that cannot be left intact. I’m not thinking about anything else right now,” he said.

Kishida said he strongly hopes to resolve pending issues with North Korea, including its abductions of Japanese nationals. “It is in the interests of both Japan and North Korea to realize fruitful bilateral relations,” he said.

On a planned trip to the United States next month, Kishida said he plans to “show the world the significance of a strong Japan-U.S. alliance, regardless of the election situation,” apparently referring to the U.S. presidential race.

JIJI Press