Japan's top gov't spokesperson faces no-confidence motion

TOKYO, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Japan's main opposition party submitted a no-confidence motion against Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno on Monday amid unfolding political fund scandals.

Jun Azumi, the Diet affairs chief of the major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, told reporters that keeping Matsuno, a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) member, in his post "will harm the national interest," as the top government spokesperson failed to swiftly respond to the allegations that he received millions of yen from kickbacks from fundraising events hosted by his party faction.

During his regular briefing on the day, Matsuno said that the fate depends on the upcoming vote, and in the meantime, all he can do is to continue "fulfilling my responsibilities."

The no-confidence motion is expected to be voted down in the House of Representatives, which the LDP dominates.

The move comes as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who heads the LDP, has already decided to replace Matsuno in response to the suspected unreported slush funds within the party's largest faction.

Allegations have been leveled against several key Cabinet and LDP figures from the faction, namely Seiwaken, or the Seiwa policy study group previously led by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, including Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura and LDP policy chief Koichi Hagiuda.

The Abe faction was suspected of having pooled secret funds amounting to around 100 million yen (about 690,000 U.S. dollars) over at least the past five years through 2022, earlier local reports said.