TOKYO: Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday meted out punishments against 39 of its members, mostly lawmakers, for their involvement in a high-profile slush funds scandal involving two of its intraparty factions.

The LDP urged former General Council chief Ryu Shionoya and Hiroshige Seko, former secretary-general for party lawmakers in the House of Councillors to leave the party, the second-heaviest measure under the party’s eight-tier penalty system. Seko later submitted a letter of resignation from the LDP.

Former LDP policy chief Hakubun Shimomura and former industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura had their party membership suspended for a year. Former LDP parliamentary affairs chief Tsuyoshi Takagi was given a six-month membership suspension. Membership suspension is the third-heaviest measure.

Shionoya, Seko, Shimomura, Nishimura and Takagi are all former key members of an LDP faction formerly led by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Among other key Abe faction members, former LDP policy head Koichi Hagiuda and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno were suspended from party posts, the sixth-heaviest measure, for one year.

“I sincerely apologize for causing serious political distrust,” Prime Minister and LDP President Fumio Kishida told reporters, referring to the scandal. “I will ask the public and party members to judge our efforts for political reform.”

Opposition lawmakers are poised to grill Kishida before parliament, accusing him of rushing to put the scandal to an end without uncovering its details, people familiar with the matter said.

The LDP found Shionoya and Seko heavily responsible for the continuation of the Abe faction’s scheme of distributing unreported revenues from fundraising events to faction members, despite then faction leader Abe deciding to abolish the practice in April 2022.

Among members of an LDP faction led by former party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, former internal affairs minister Ryota Takeda, former party Acting Secretary-General Motoo Hayashi and former reconstruction minister Katsuei Hirasawa were suspended from party posts for one year.

Nikai, who had the largest amount of unreported funds, totaling 35.26 million yen, was not punished after he announced a decision not to run in the next general election.

The LDP’s investigation found that 85 members had unreported or misreported funds. The 39 punished members had at least 5 million yen in unreported funds in the five years through 2022.

Those who had 10 million yen or more in unreported funds were suspended from party posts, while others with less unreported funds were given a warning, the second-lightest measure.

Nine people were suspended from party posts for one year. Eight were given a six-month suspension from party posts and 17 received a warning.

At a faction led by Kishida, a former chief accountant was given a summary indictment. The prime minister escaped punishment as he had no unreported funds.

Kishida said that he has had a call with former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who once led the Abe faction, and that Mori’s involvement in the scandal has not been found.

JIJI Press