TOKYO: Tokyo prosecutors on Tuesday (Dec 19) searched the offices of two powerful political factions within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), public broadcaster NHK reported, in connection with the biggest fundraising scandal to engulf the party in decades.
Prosecutors suspect the Abe faction of failing to report as much as 500 million yen (US$3.5 million) in funds over five years, while the smaller Nikai faction was believed not to have reported 100 million yen, NHK said.
The Tokyo prosecutors’ office declined to confirm the reports when contacted by Reuters.
The scandal has eroded public support for the LDP and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government, forcing him to replace key cabinet ministers last week as he tried to limit the fallout.