LDP's Shimomura denies he ordered kickbacks to resume in 2022

Hakubun Shimomura denied any improper requests to revive a long-banned "kickback" system within an LDP faction after its suspension in April 2022, stating that it wasn't approved during an August executive meeting. Testifying at the Budget Committee hearing, he emphasized the lack of permission for resumption despite a July request from a former faction leader, which was later confirmed to have been agreed upon at an August meeting by then-faction officials.