LDP amends party rules to toughen penalties for fund violations

TOKYO - Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, headed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, revised internal rules on Sunday to toughen penalties for lawmakers involved in political funds scandals, as public trust in politics has been declining significantly.The LDP has come under intense scrutiny amid allegations that some of its factions, including the largest one formerly led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, neglected to report portions of their income from fundraising parties and created slush funds for years.In amending its regulations, the LDP also pledged to move away from faction…READ FULL ARTICLE