Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori offered a fresh apology before the Diet on Monday for recent corruption scandals involving LDP members and a Foreign Ministry official.

Mori's apologies came after Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition force, harshly criticized Mori's Cabinet for the scandals during a plenary session of the Lower House.

Mori rebuffed opposition claims that the Liberal Democratic Party is tainted with concessions and corruption.