Japan cabinet spokesman under pressure to resign over slush fund

2 comments

1. Hi from Nikkei Asia. It didn’t look like this story had been shared here yet, so thought I’d post some of our reporting:

   *Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the top spokesman for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government, faces growing pressure to step down over allegations that he had concealed fundraising income.*
   *The slush fund scandal rocking the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has ensnared a number of lawmakers. But Matsuno’s suspected involvement comes as a serious blow to a cabinet already reeling from sliding public support.*
   *Matsuno allegedly failed to report more than 10 million yen ($70,000) in donations raised through fundraising events hosted by his party faction, according to sources familiar with the matter.*
   *Opposition parties are already calling for his firing, and some LDP members acknowledged Friday that Matsuno would not be able to stay on.*

   The full story is [here](https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Japan-cabinet-spokesman-under-pressure-to-resign-over-slush-fund), if you’d like to read it. Thanks, and have a good weekend.

2. More on this subject from other reputable sources:

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   – Reuters (A+): [Japan PM Kishida plans to replace chief cabinet secretary Matsuno -report](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-pm-kishida-plans-replace-chief-cabinet-secretary-matsuno-report-2023-12-08/)
   – Bloomberg (B+): [Japan’s Matsuno Says He’ll Stay in Job Amid Slush Fund Reports](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-08/japan-s-matsuno-faces-allegations-he-concealed-69-000-in-funds)
   – Japan Today (B): [Top gov't spokesman allegedly received ¥10 mil in kickbacks: source](https://japantoday.com/category/crime/update1-japan-top-spokesman-allegedly-received-10-mil.-yen-kickback-source)
   – Mainichi Shimbun (C+): [Japan top spokesman allegedly received 10 mil. yen kickback: source – The Mainichi](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20231208/p2g/00m/0na/024000c)

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