安倍派幹部、２６日聴取　岸田首相、裏金処分へ調整―森氏対応「適切に判断」

　岸田文雄首相（自民党総裁）は２６日、派閥の政治資金パーティー裏金事件を受け、安倍派幹部だった塩谷立元総務会長を自ら聴取する。キックバック（還流）の継続に対する政治的責任を重視し、党規律規約に基づく「選挙における非公認」を軸に重い処分を検討。他の関係議員を含めて調整を急ぎ、４月第１週にも決定したい考えだ。
　関係者によると、聴取は２７日までの２日間。塩谷氏と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人が対象となる。執行部側は茂木敏充幹事長、森山裕総務会長が同席する。
　首相は２５日の参院予算委員会で「さらなる事実解明に向けて聞き取り調査を行いたい。政治責任を判断し、けじめをつけていく」と表明。政界引退後も安倍派に影響力を保つ森喜朗元首相への聴取に関しても「多くの国民の関心に応えるため、やり方を適切に判断する」と引き続き検討する考えを示した。（2024/03/25-19:02）

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who also serves as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will hold a question session on Tuesday for former LDP General Council Chairman Ryu Shionoya over a political funds scandal.
   Shionoya will be among the four senior members of the LDP's faction previously led by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to appear at the party hearing, which is expected to continue until Wednesday, people familiar with the matter said.
   The other three are former party policy chief Hakubun Shimomura, former industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and Hiroshige Seko, former party secretary-general in the House of Councillors.
   Kishida will be joined by LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi and General Council Chairman Hiroshi Moriyama at the hearing.
   "We'll conduct a hearing to get to the bottom" of the scandal, Kishida told a meeting of the Upper House Budget Committee on Monday. "We'll reach a decision (on the four lawmakers') political responsibility," he added.