NHK has learned that the chief accountants of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party's two factions have admitted to not declaring some revenue from fundraisers during questioning by prosecutors.

The Abe and Nikai factions are suspected of paying kickbacks to member lawmakers who sold fundraising party tickets in excess of their quota, without recording the amount as revenue in their political fund reports.

Tokyo prosecutors are apparently trying to find out if the practice was systematic.

The sources told NHK that the chief accounting officers of both factions have admitted that they didn't register a portion of revenue from fundraising events.

They say the chief accountant of the Abe faction told investigators of having been aware that the funds should have been recorded in official documents.

Lawmakers in the Abe faction are estimated to have received unrecorded funds worth about 3.5 million dollars.

The policy chief of the largest opposition party is calling for more transparency. Under the political funds control law, details of donations must be recorded if the amount exceeds about 350 dollars per year. But for fundraising parties, the criterion is about 1,400 dollars per event.

Constitutional Democratic Party policy chief Nagatsuma Akira says that should be lowered to the same level as donations. He also said he wants to make sure that this kind of political greed and scandal never occurs again in Japan.

The secretary-general of the LDP Motegi Toshimitsu has also proposed a legal change. He says measures must be considered to ensure monetary transparency as soon as possible, including legal amendments such as revisions to the Political Funds Control Act.

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio did not rule out that option.
He said it is important for his party to take drastic measures, such as creating a new framework to regain public trust, at the appropriate time.