A one-year suspension on party membership and leadership posts for Liberal Democratic Party members involved in a political slush funds scandal ended Wednesday.
But their return, rather than being met with a warm welcome back into the fold by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, is expected to create further political headaches for — and possible leadership challenges to — an already-unpopular administration that needs to show the public it's unified ahead of the summer Upper House election.
On April 4, 2024, the LDP suspended the membership of several individuals as punishment for their roles in the slush funds scandal involving the party’s factions. Two former leaders of a faction previously led by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — Lower House lawmakers Hakubun Shimomura and Yasutoshi Nishimura — were among those whose party memberships were suspended.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.