Japan's Ishiba Concerned over Summoning Ex-LDP Accountant

   Tokyo, Jan. 31 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday expressed concerns over a House of Representatives committee's decision to summon a former Liberal Democratic Party accountant convicted over a slush funds scandal for unsworn testimony.
   The Budget Committee of the lower parliamentary chamber should be cautious about summoning the former accountant, Junichiro Matsumoto, to testify about the scandal, Ishiba said, noting that he is not a holder of public office and that prosecutors have completed their investigation into him.
   The committee voted Thursday to summon Matsumoto, who was chief accountant of the now-defunct LDP faction once led by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with support from opposition parties. Meanwhile, Ishiba's LDP voted against the motion to summon him.
   At a Budget Committee meeting Friday, Ishiba said that he is "not in a position to tell (Matsumoto) to testify when it is unknown what his intention is."
   Over North Korea, Ishiba expressed willingness to negotiate with the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, on the issues of Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese nationals and its nuclear and missile development.

(2025/01/31-19:11)

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