
武部新農林水産相は、公共事業受注企業からの違法献金報道を受け、資金を返金し収支報告書を訂正したと発表。選挙運動員への報酬支払い疑惑については公職選挙法違反を否定した。
AI-generated summary
文春オンラインが、武部氏の選挙区支部が公共事業受注企業から献金を受け取っていたことや、選挙運動員への報酬支払いを報じた。
武部新農林水産相は21日午後、省内で記者団の取材に応じ、公共事業を受注した企業から選挙時に献金を受け取っていたとする週刊誌報道について、「寄付をもらった時、公共事業を受注していることは承知していなかった。本日確認を取り、資金を返し、政治資金収支報告書も訂正した」と述べた。有権者買収の疑惑など、ほかにも報じられた問題については、「公職選挙法に違反している認識はない」と否定した。
文春オンラインは、武部氏が代表を務める自民党北海道第12選挙区支部が2024年の衆院選公示日に、国の公共事業を請け負う地元企業から献金を受けていたと報じた。武部氏は、献金企業の公共事業受注の有無について、「確認の漏れが発生した」と説明した。
さらに文春オンラインが、選挙運動員に相当する役割を担うカメラマンに報酬を支払っていたとして、公選法違反を指摘した問題に対し、武部氏は「自民党の活動を記録する目的で撮影してもらった」として、選挙運動としての活動を否定した。

One year has passed since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office, and her approval rating among women has dropped significantly. Professor Shin Qi-young of Ochanomizu University points out that disappointing policies and the lack of female cabinet ministers have led to the disappointment, and calls for an attitude that is supportive of people's daily difficulties.

As Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enters his first year in office, he has emphasized countermeasures against rising prices and promotion of aggressive fiscal policy as his goals for his second year. While the party has solidified its political base with its victory in the lower house election, maintaining its unifying force is now a focus in the future due to a decline in cabinet approval ratings, the dismissal of ministers, and suspicious reports.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has sparked controversy after he used Google's AI Gemini's response to refute criticism over the attendance of the head of an investigative agency at a cabinet meeting. Opposition parties have criticized the idea, calling it ``insane.''

It has been revealed that a total of approximately 4 billion yen of the proceeds from the year-end jumbo lottery, which will go on sale from November, will be prioritized in distribution to Kumamoto Prefecture and Kumamoto City, areas affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake. Used for restoration and reconstruction projects.

A bill related to consumption tax reduction entered the House of Representatives for deliberation on the 20th. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has called for ``increasing take-home pay,'' but has not provided a concrete picture of the financial resources or benefits, and it has been pointed out that the details are unclear.

In the US midterm elections to be held on November 3, there are speculations that delays in the counting of mail-in votes will prolong the determination of the majority in both houses of Congress. President Trump has recently reversed his stance by promoting mail-in voting, which he had criticized as fraudulent, and there are concerns that protracted counting in closely contested districts could lead to confusion.