安倍派４氏に非公認案　岸田首相、塩谷氏ら直接再聴取―自民、来月上旬処分へ

　自民党は派閥の裏金事件を受け、安倍派幹部だった塩谷立元総務会長、下村博文元政調会長、西村康稔前経済産業相、世耕弘成前参院幹事長の４人に対し「選挙における非公認」を軸に重い処分を行う方向で検討に入った。週明けに岸田文雄首相（党総裁）自身が４人を再び聴取。その他の関係議員を含め、４月第１週にも処分を決定する。複数の自民関係者が２３日、明らかにした。
　安倍派を巡っては、２０２２年４月に当時の派閥会長だった安倍晋三元首相が所属議員へのパーティー収入のキックバック（還流）廃止を決めた。しかし、塩谷氏ら４人による２２年８月の協議を経て、還流は継続された。自民執行部は４人の政治的責任は重いとみており、選挙の非公認を軸に処分を検討している。党内には、より厳しい「党員資格停止」が必要との意見もある。
　処分決定に先立ち、週明けに首相や麻生太郎副総裁、茂木敏充幹事長らが４人から還流継続の経緯などを再び聞き取る方針だ。茂木氏は２３日、石川県輪島市で記者団に「党として事実確認する努力はさらに必要と考える」と説明。「早急に政治責任の在り方について結論を出したい」と述べた。（2024/03/23-21:38）

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is considering severely punishing four lawmakers who belonged to a party faction deeply involved in a high-profile money scandal, possibly withholding their election endorsements, it was learned Saturday.
   The four are former LDP General Council chairman Ryu Shionoya, former party policy chief Hakubun Shimomura, former industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and Hiroshige Seko, former party secretary-general in the House of Councillors.
   The LDP leadership will soon hold hearings again with the four lawmakers from the faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and decide on punishments for those involved in the scandal as early as the first week of April, LDP sources said.
   When Abe was leader of the faction, he decided in April 2022 to abolish its kickback scheme, which distributed unreported funds from the proceeds of fundraising events to member lawmakers. However, the scheme was maintained after talks held among the four in August that year.
   Believing that the four should take heavy political responsibility, the party leadership is looking mainly at a proposal to forgo giving them official election endorsements, the sources said. Some in the party, meanwhile, are calling for an even harsher punishment of suspending their party membership.