The Democratic Party of Japan said Monday it may take out newspaper ads apologizing over allegations that a fabricated e-mail proved a shady financial link between arrested Livedoor Co. founder Takafumi Horie and Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe's son.

Takebe's son has been demanding the DPJ publish a formal apology in major newspapers.

"The party told an agent of Takebe's son that it is considering accepting his request," Hirofumi Hirano, who heads the DPJ's general coordination department, said in a statement. "While we proceed with the intraparty process, we will begin negotiations (with Takebe's son) to decide on the details."

Takebe's second son sent letters Friday to the DPJ and DPJ lawmaker Hisayasu Nagata, urging them to publish the newspaper ads. He said he has been defamed by the groundless accusations.

Suspicions cast on the younger Takebe arising from the incident have severely damaged his company and the restaurant he manages, the letters said.

"Apologies in the Diet alone will not be able to make up for the huge damage inflicted upon (me) by the incident," they said, urging the party and Nagata to publish ads apologizing in the five major national newspapers and the regional Hokkaido Shimbun.

Nagata read out the bogus e-mail in the Diet last month, claiming it was an order given by Horie to an employee to transfer 30 million yen to Takebe's son to secure the LDP's support for Horie's unsuccessful campaign in the Sept. 11 general election.

The DPJ admitted last week the sender and recipient of the e-mail was actually an unnamed freelance journalist -- an admission Nagata also later made.