Prime Minister Kishida intends to punish related members as early as next week over political funding issue. Opposition parties have been increasingly critical of the lack of progress in clarifying the facts, and are poised to continue pursuing the matter.
The party executive has so far punished four executives who discussed the handling of kickbacks from the Abe faction with punishments beyond ``non-official recognition in elections,'' and mid-ranking and young people who received kickbacks at the direction of the faction. The focus of the second half of the Diet session will be on amending the Political Funds Control Act.