Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is considering replacing Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu in response to a money scandal that has engulfed Matsuno and other senior lawmakers of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Kishida met with LDP Vice President Aso Taro on Saturday to discuss the matter.

It has been revealed that the offices of most members of the Abe faction in the LDP allegedly received kickbacks from selling tickets for political fundraising events. They are now suspected of failing to declare the revenue in their political funds reports. The faction once led by the late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is the largest in the party.

Those members of the faction in question include Matsuno, LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairperson Takagi Tsuyoshi, LDP Upper House Secretary-General Seko Hiroshige, LDP Policy Research Council Chairperson Hagiuda Koichi, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nishimura Yasutoshi and other senior members.

When meeting reporters separately on Saturday, Seko and Takagi apologized for generating public distrust in the country's politics. But they denied the possibility of their resignations from the current posts.

Some government and LDP officials are beginning to suggest the need for Cabinet and party leadership reshuffles. They note that the situation with the LDP has deteriorated to the point where the problem can no longer be resolved by only replacing one or two officials.

Sources say Kishida plans to make a careful decision as public prosecutors are expected to launch all-out investigations into the scandal after the Diet session ends on Wednesday, and the work to compile the fiscal 2024 budget comes to a close.

The president of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, Izumi Kenta, criticized the LDP-led government. He said the current administration will have no legitimacy if off-the-books funds were used to increase the support base.

The opposition camp plans to demand the dismissal of Matsuno during Diet deliberations on Monday and further grill Kishida and LDP officials over the scandal.