The ruling Liberal Democratic Party began questioning member lawmakers about a high-profile money scandal involving LDP factions, but there was little sense it is serious about muckraking in its own backyard.
The Motegi faction, one of the two remaining factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will reorganize itself as a “policy group” with no role in money and personnel affairs, a representative said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida remained noncommittal and even negative toward closing an apparent “loophole” that was exploited in the recent funding scandal in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s reform plan, thrown together in response to a political funding scandal, falls far short of tackling the core problems behind the scandal.
Seventy-two percent of voters said dissolution of factions in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will not restore public trust in politics, compared with 19 percent who said it will, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.