安倍派幹部、午後から聴取　「非公認」軸に処分判断へ―岸田首相

　岸田文雄首相（自民党総裁）は２６日午後、安倍派の政治資金パーティー裏金事件に関し、塩谷立・元総務会長ら同派元幹部４人の追加聴取を始める。所属議員へのキックバック（還流）を止めなかった責任を重視し、「非公認」を軸に重い処分を検討している。２７日まで聴取を行い、来週にも処分を決定したい考えだ。
　２６日は塩谷氏と下村博文元政調会長、２７日は西村康稔前経済産業相と世耕弘成前参院幹事長が対象。執行部から茂木敏充幹事長、森山裕総務会長も聴取に加わる。（2024/03/26-11:17）

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, on Tuesday began two-day questioning of former senior members of the LDP's largest faction, once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and deeply involved in a high-profile money scandal.
   Former LDP General Council Chairman Ryu Shionoya and former party Policy Research Council Chairman Hakubun Shimomura were subject to the questioning on Tuesday. Former industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and Hiroshige Seko, former LDP secretary-general in the House of Councillors, will be questioned on Wednesday.
   The questioning will also be attended by LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi and General Council Chairman Hiroshi Moriyama.
   After the questioning, the party leadership is expected to decide on punishments for them next week at the earliest. The leadership is considering severe punishments, such as not endorsing them in elections.
   In the faction, then leader Abe decided in April 2022 to abolish a "slush fund" scheme of distributing unreported funds from the proceeds of fundraising events to faction members. However, the scheme was maintained after talks among Shionoya, Shimomura, Nishimura and Seko in August 2022, following Abe's death.