藤原自民青年局長ら辞任　ダンサー招待報道で引責

　自民党の藤原崇衆院議員（４０）＝岩手３区＝は８日、党青年局長の辞任届を党本部に提出、受理された。中曽根康隆衆院議員（４２）＝群馬１区＝も青年局長代理を辞任した。和歌山市で昨年１１月に開かれた同局の会合に露出度の高い衣装の女性ダンサーが複数招かれ、一部の参加者が口移しでチップを渡すなどしたと産経新聞が報道。党関係者によると、２人はこの会合に出席しており、責任を取った形だ。
　梶山弘志幹事長代行は８日の記者会見で、報道が事実かどうか確認作業を進めると説明。「費用に公費が出ていないことだけは確認できている」と強調した。（2024/03/08-19:37）

A member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Wakayama prefectural chapter quit the party on Monday to take the blame for holding an inappropriate party, after resignations of two executives of the LDP's Youth Division.
   "I would like to offer a sincere apology" for hosting last November the gathering of the division members mainly in western Japan featuring scanty clad female dancers, Tetsuya Kawabata told reporters.
   Kawabata said he saw some of the participants passing tips mouth-to-mouth at the party in the city of Wakayama but does not remember whether there were those who touched dancers.
   Over the scandal, Takashi Fujiwara, a House of Representatives lawmaker, and Yasutaka Nakasone, also a Lower House member, resigned as head and acting head of the youth division, respectively, on Friday. They were among the attendees.
   In Tokyo on Monday, the LDP division said it "deeply apologizes for the holding of an extremely inappropriate entertainment show" at the party.