TOKYO: Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is seen punishing 39 people, mostly party lawmakers, over a high-profile money scandal involving LDP factions, it was learned Monday.

LDP Secretary-General MOTEGI Toshimitsu asked the party’s ethics committee on the day to review the 39, who were senior members of factions once led by former Prime Minister ABE Shinzo and former LDP Secretary-General NIKAI Toshihiro, or who failed to report 5 million yen or more in political funds for five recent years.

The people in question do not include Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio, president of the LDP, or Nikai, who has announced that he will not run in the next House of Representatives election.

“We aim to adopt a punishment policy this week,” Motegi told a press conference on Monday. The ethics committee is expected to meet on Thursday.

Motegi suggested that the LDP leadership show the ethics panel its proposals on how to punish the people, including 27 Lower House members, 11 House of Councillors members and an LDP local chapter official.

He also indicated that, as the LDP secretary-general, he will warn party lawmakers whose misreporting amounts were less than 5 million yen.

He noted that Kishida will not be reviewed by the ethics panel because the prime minister did not fail to report political funds, although a former accounting official of the faction previously led by Kishida has faced criminal procedures over the money scandal.

The LDP ethics committee is composed of 12 party lawmakers and six related experts. Those subject to its review must be given an opportunity to give explanations, and can appeal the panel’s decision to the party’s president.

Over the scandal, Kishida is considering recommending that four former senior members of the Abe faction leave the LDP. This is the second heaviest penalty under party rules, after expulsion.

The four are former LDP General Council Chairman SHIONOYA Ryu, former policy chief SHIMOMURA Hakubun, former industry minister NISHIMURA Yasutoshi and SEKO Hiroshige, former party secretary-general in the Upper House.

Kishida believes that the four are largely responsible for failing to end the faction’s kickback scheme of distributing unreported funds from the proceeds of fundraising events to faction members.

Among other former Abe faction executives, former Chief Cabinet Secretary MATSUNO Hirokazu, former LDP parliamentary affairs leader TAKAGI Tsuyoshi and former party policy chief HAGIUDA Koichi may be stripped of the party’s official endorsement in elections, the fourth heaviest penalty.

JIJI Press