Ishiba Sounds Ready to Speak before Diet Ethics Panel

Tokyo, March 21 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday signaled his readiness to speak before a Diet political ethics panel over his controversial distribution of gift vouchers to new lawmakers of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

"I am sincerely explaining here, but if you are not convinced, I would go to another place," Ishiba said at a meeting of the House of Councillors Budget Committee, in response to a question from Takumi Shibata, a lawmaker of opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party).

Over the gift voucher issue, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the Democratic Party for the People, have called on Ishiba to give explanations before a parliamentary ethics panel.

The LDP has rejected the opposition demand, claiming that the distribution of gift vouchers did not violate the political funds control law, unlike a high-profile political funds scandal involving LDP factions.

Still, LDP Diet affairs chief Tetsushi Sakamoto said that the prime minister has to attend an ethics panel meeting if it is decided to hold such a meeting.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]