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TOKYO - Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan's top government spokesperson, is alleged to have received more than 10 million yen (about 70,000 US dollars) in a kickback, local media reported on Friday, as the ruling party's funds scandal escalates.
Matsuno, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s largest faction, was accused of receiving the kickback from fundraising events hosted by the faction, national news agency Kyodo reported, citing a source close to the matter.
The faction, namely Seiwaken previously led by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was suspected to have pooled secret funds amounting to around 100 million yen (about 700,000 U.S. dollars) over at least the past five years through 2022, earlier reports said.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced his decision to step down as chief of his faction in the LDP, or Kochikai, according to local media reports on Thursday. - XINHUA