Shimomura Suggests Resumption of Kickback
Committee on Budget of the House of Representatives made a hearing, closed to the press, to former accounting manager of Abe faction in the Liberal Democratic Party, Jun-ichiro Matsumoto, on secret fund scandal of the faction. While Matsumoto did not reveal who resumed the kickback system in 2022, it was reported that he told the public prosecutors about who asked Matsumoto for that resumption. It was likely that former Minister of Education, Hakubun Shimomura, effectively requested to maintain the system of returning sales of fundraising parties. Although some lawmakers with former Abe and Nikai faction were indicted by the public prosecutors, there remains two big questions unsolved. One is when and who started the system of secretly returning sales of fundraising party ticket to the members of faction. Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori was doubted as the leader who created the system, former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida did not make detailed interview to Mori. This doubt is not rem...