Two members who were punished in the Liberal Democratic Party faction's slush fund scandal enter the cabinet for the first time, and ``Politics and Money'' will be re-discussed at the extraordinary Diet session.

Two members of the House of Representatives who were punished in connection with the Liberal Democratic Party faction's slush funds scandal will enter the cabinet for the first time, and the issue of ``politics and money'' is likely to become one of the points of discussion once again at the extraordinary Diet session scheduled for October 5th. It cannot be said that a thorough explanation has been given, and the opposition parties are planning to pursue the matter, including the responsibility for appointing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. There is also a sense of alarm within the Liberal Democratic Party that the issue will flare up again and have an impact on the unified local elections next spring.

In the recent cabinet reshuffle, former Abe allies Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Kazuo Yan and Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Yoshihiro Seki joined the cabinet. Mr. Yan omitted 17.46 million yen in his political funds balance report, and was suspended from his party post for six months. Mr. Seki was given a reprimand for the amount he did not record for 8.36 million yen. Both candidates were elected to the House of Representatives elections in 2024 and 2026 after the punishment, and some within the party say that their ``disappearance'' is over.

However, at the House of Representatives Committee on Political Ethics in December 2024, Mr. Yan gave ambiguous answers, saying, ``I don't remember the exact details'' about the circumstances surrounding the resumption of recirculation of political party income. Those involved in the faction have pointed out that ``accountability has not been sufficiently fulfilled.'' Meanwhile, Mr. Seki announced that he had appealed to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to abolish the repatriation.

Regarding the two ministers, Liberal Democratic Party Chairman Hiroshi Kajiyama said at a press conference on the 25th, ``Their job is to explain their positions in the Diet.'' Yoshitaka Saito, chairman of the Constitutional Democratic Party's Country Affairs Committee, told reporters, ``We need to be more accountable than this,'' and indicated that the matter would be passed in the Diet.

Considering the cabinet's approval rating, which remains at a high level, the Liberal Democratic Party's executive committee asserted that ``voters have little interest in the issue of slush funds.'' A member of the cabinet who was involved in the slush fund incident who has not yet joined the cabinet hopes that he will join the cabinet in the future, saying, ``We can continue.'' The prime minister's aim is likely to be to solidify the support of former Abe faction members, who were the party's most powerful party, in preparation for his re-election in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election next fall.

In last year's presidential election, the prime minister boasted of the strength of the votes of party members, mainly local assembly members. As confusion continues over the suspicion of money transfers in the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly, if the issue of slush funds draws attention again, it could be a headwind for the Liberal Democratic Party in the unified local elections. Party officials are concerned that ``reducing the number of seats in local elections will directly affect the prime minister's unifying force.''

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