Communist Party Secretary General Koike Akira / You discussed policy, but it was just advice, so it was not political activity. If you start saying things like this, anything could be allowed. It is a clear violation of the Political Funds Control Act.

Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru / I never said anything about how our party should be promoting certain policies or who should be elected, so it was not political activity.

The prime minister denied when he was asked whether he used classified funds to purchase the gift vouchers.

Ishiba on March 13 said that he distributed  gift vouchers worth 100,000yen as souvenirs when he had a meeting with 15 rookie Liberal Democratic Party members on March 3.

Opposition Constitutional Democratic Party member Ishigaki Noriko demanded that Ishiba explain himself at the Deliberative Council on Political Ethics.

Ishiba did not give a clear answer to this and senior LDP officials expressed their denial.