Photo/Illutration Members of the Upper House Deliberative Council on Political Ethics on March 8 unanimously agree to summon 32 lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to answer questions. (Takeshi Iwashita)

The Upper House Deliberative Council on Political Ethics unanimously agreed on March 8 to have 32 ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers appear before them to explain accepting money accumulated through fund-raising parties.

This will be the first time the Upper House panel has ever met to question colleagues.

The lawmakers will have until March 12 to indicate whether they will appear before the panel and if they agree to having the session open to the media.

The questioning could begin as early as March 14.

The Lower House panel questioned a number of lawmakers, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, but no new revelations were uncovered in the scandal involving LDP factions.

Hiroshige Seko--the former secretary-general of the LDP’s Upper House caucus and a high-ranking member of the faction once led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe--has indicated his willingness to appear before the panel, as has Shoji Nishida, also of the Abe faction.

Nishida told reporters on March 8 that he would attend and would not mind if reporters were in the committee room.

Thirty-one of the lawmakers are with the LDP.

Yasutada Ono left the LDP after reports surfaced that he received vast amounts of money, and his aide and he were indicted for violating the Political Fund Control Law.

It remains to be seen how many will actually show up, however, as not all of the 32 lawmakers want to appear before the panel. 

However, it was significant that even LDP members of the panel agreed to calling all 32 lawmakers, said Saori Yoshikawa of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

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