TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio is considering punishing some members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party involved in a political funds scandal by recommending them to leave the party, informed sources said Saturday.

The recommendation, the second harshest of the eight penalties under the party’s disciplinary rules, is likely to be issued to some former executives of the faction once led by former Prime Minister ABE Shinzo at the center of the scandal.

Kishida initially considered punishing them by not giving them LDP endorsements as election candidates, the fourth-harshest penalty, but is tilting toward tougher measures in view of reactions from inside and outside the party.

The punishments are expected to be decided as early as Thursday after a review by the Party Ethics Committee.

Kishida, the LDP’s president, intends to punish 82 members of two factions, including the Abe group, that failed to record money kicked back from fundraising party revenues in political funds reports.

Of them, former LDP General Council Chairman Ryu Shionoya, former party policy leader SHIMOMURA Hakubun, former industry minister NISHIMURA Yasutoshi and SEKO Hiroshige, former party secretary-general in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament, are seen receiving heavy punishments.

The four Abe faction members participated in talks in August 2022 that led to a reversal of an April decision by Abe, who headed the group at the time, to scrap the practice of kicking back party revenues. Abe died before the August talks.

The initial plan of not endorsing the four in elections was deemed insufficient in quelling public outcry on the scandal.

A cabinet member said that “drastic measures are needed,” given that the LDP made three lawmakers leave the party for visiting a hostess bar in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district at the height of the COVID-19 crisis.

In addition, criticism of Nishimura and Seko intensified after they failed to disclose at parliamentary political ethics panel hearings that Abe faction executives including the two had held a meeting in March 2022, only to admit attending the session Friday.

“The four are not aware that they are causing a serious problem,” a party sources said. “It is possible that they will be recommended to leave the party.”

Kishida has said that the severity of punishments would be decided based on a comprehensive consideration of factors, such as the amount of funds not recorded in reports, the past posts they occupied and how they fulfilled their accountability.

Some in the party leadership are wary of giving the same punishments to the four former Abe faction executives. Kishida is expected to weigh up options further, including the third-harshest penalty of party membership suspension.

Former Chief Cabinet Secretary MATSUNO Hirokazu, former LDP parliamentary affairs leader TAKAGI Tsuyoshi and former party policy head HAGIUDA Koichi, who along with Nishimura and Seko made up the Abe faction’s five most influential members, may be punished with no LDP endorsements in elections. Kishida had considered slapping them with suspensions from party posts, the sixth-harshest measure.

Younger members to be punished are expected to receive admonitions, the seventh-toughest penalty. 

JIJI Press