2023–2024 Japanese slush fund scandal

Cabinet members forced to resign as a result of the scandal
Hirokazu Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yasutoshi Nishimura, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry
Junji Suzuki, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications
Ichiro Miyashita, Minister of Agriculture

Beginning in November 2023,[1] a scandal became known whent it was discovered that some politicians were not using campaign money legally. These politicians were members of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP)'s conservative Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai and Shisuikai factions. The scandal became public after it was revealed the faction did not report over ¥600 million in campaign funds and hid them in illegal slush funds.[2]

On 18–19 January 2024, three factions of the Liberal Democratic Party (Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai, Kōchikai, and Shisuikai) all announced their plan to dissolve.[3] Several Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers were indicted, including incumbent lawmakers Yasutada Ōno and Yaichi Tanigawa, who both resigned from the party following their indictments.[4]

The scandal brought negative attention to the LDP and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Kuhn, Anthony (22 December 2023). "Party bosses fall in Japan's worst political corruption scandal in decades". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  2. ↑ Messager, Yann (January 16, 2024). "Japan's Crisis of Confidence". The Diplomat. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  3. ↑ "岸田派、政治団体を解散へ". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-21. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  4. ↑ "Prosecutors indict several LDP faction members over funds scandal". Kyodo News. January 18, 2024.
  5. ↑ "衆議院選挙 投票率は53.85％ 前回を下回り戦後3番目に低く". NHK. 2024-10-28.
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