TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Thursday that his office handed out gift vouchers to rookie Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers but maintained that the practice does not pose legal problems, dealing a fresh blow to the ruling party still reeling from a slush fund scandal.
Ishiba said the gifts, delivered to the first-term lawmakers before they met for dinner at the prime minister's official residence on March 3, were intended to reward their hard work and paid out of his own pocket. A voucher gift was worth 100,000 yen ($676) per person, according to participants of the meeting.
