「裏金」処分、来月４日軸　「非公認」上回る対応浮上―還流復活、森氏聴取が焦点

　岸田文雄首相（自民党総裁）は２９日、同党派閥の政治資金パーティー収入裏金事件を巡り、関係議員の処分を来週決定する意向を固めた。４月４日を軸に調整している。党関係者によると、安倍派（清和政策研究会）の一部幹部に対し、「選挙における非公認」より重い「離党勧告」などを科す案が浮上してきた。
　首相は一部幹部に対し、党規律規約で４番目に重い非公認を軸に検討してきた。ただ、世論の強い批判が収まる気配がないため、さらに厳しい処分を考慮しているとみられる。離党勧告は「除名」に次いで２番目に重い。
　一方、安倍派のキックバック（還流）復活に関し、長く会長を務めた森喜朗元首相の聴取を首相が行うかどうかが焦点となっている。
　首相は２９日、麻生太郎副総裁、茂木敏充幹事長と首相官邸で秘密裏に会談。森氏聴取について協議したとみられる。首相はこれに先立ち、関口昌一参院議員会長、松山政司参院幹事長と個別に会い、処分について意見交換した。（2024/03/30-00:30）

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to punish members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party involved in a political funds scandal around Thursday, a senior LDP official said Friday.
   On Friday, Kishida met with LDP Vice President Taro Aso and Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi. They are believed to have discussed the possibility of questioning former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who once served as head of an LDP faction at the center of the scandal.
   In April 2022, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who headed the faction at the time, decided to abolish the practice of distributing kickbacks from fundraising party revenues to faction members.
   The scheme, however, was maintained following a meeting in August the same year, after Abe's death, that was attended by former LDP General Council Chairman Ryu Shionoya, former policy chief Hakubun Shimomura, former industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and Hiroshige Seko, former party secretary-general in the House of Councillors.
   Mori served as head of the faction from 1998 to 2006, excluding a one-year period during which he was prime minister. This coincides with the time period when the kickback practices are believed to have started.