The LDP is contemplating implementing stricter disciplinary actions than previously anticipated, considering asking certain Abe faction leaders to depart from the party in response to a political fund scandal. The Party Ethics Committee is scheduled to convene on April 4 to determine the particular measures to be taken against approximately 40 lawmakers who did not disclose 5 million yen or more in earnings from fundraising events on their political fund reports.

The potential disciplinary measures, which are part of a broader move by the LDP, come as a response to public outcry regarding the scandal involving the underreporting of funds. It has been revealed that over the course of five years up to 2022, a total of 82 lawmakers associated with the Abe and Nikai factions omitted funds from party ticket sales that exceeded individual quotas from their financial records.

The LDP's consideration of urging some Abe faction leaders to leave the party marks a shift towards a more severe penalty than what was initially expected, as the party aims to address public dissatisfaction over the scandal. Despite former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision to end the faction's practice of returning party ticket sales to lawmakers in April 2022, this practice continued following a meeting the month after Abe's tragic passing in July of the same year. Top leaders of the Abe faction, including Ryu Shionoya and Hiroshige Seko, may face tougher disciplinary actions than other faction members due to their prominent roles within the party's upper and lower chambers of the Diet.