菅首相、「事実と異なる答弁」と陳謝　「桜を見る会」前夜祭の国会対応

　菅義偉首相は２４日、安倍晋三前首相の後援会が主催した「桜を見る会」前夜祭をめぐる国会対応について「事実と異なる答弁に私自身もなってしまった。国民に大変申し訳ない」と陳謝した。首相官邸で記者団の質問に答えた。
　首相は、安倍氏が事実と異なった答弁を繰り返したことを「重く受け止める」と表明。自身の官房長官時代の答弁について「安倍前首相が国会で答弁した内容を、必要に応じて前首相に確認しながら答弁してきた」と釈明した。（2020/12/24-19:20）

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Thursday apologized for making false statements at the Diet, the country's parliament, in the past over a dinner party scandal involving a support group for his predecessor, Shinzo Abe.
   "It turned out that I made inaccurate remarks at the Diet" about the dinner parties, Suga told reporters at the prime minister's office. "I sincerely apologize to the people," he said.
   The support group covered some of the costs of the dinner parties, but Abe denied the payments in Diet remarks while in office. Suga also denied the payments when he was chief cabinet secretary in the Abe administration.
   Suga said he takes serious Abe's repeated false remarks at the Diet.
   Referring to the remarks Suga himself made when he was chief cabinet secretary, the prime minister said he answered questions at the Diet while confirming what Abe said when necessary.