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Party bosses fall in Japan's worst political corruption scandal in decades

Japan's governing Liberal Democratic Party replaced two of its top executives as part of a purge related to investigations into alleged political slush funds.
Investigation officials from Tokyo's district prosecutors office head to an office of a Liberal Democratic Party faction led by politician Toshihiro Nikai, on Tuesday.

SEOUL, South Korea — Japan's governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Friday replaced two of its top executives, as part of a purge related to the worst corruption scandal to rock the country in three decades.

The outgoing executives were in charge of policy and parliamentary affairs. They belonged to an LDP faction — a sort of party within a party — formerly led by the late ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Japan's current prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has been sacking party chiefs and to save his administration, as prosecutors investigate allegations that LDP ministers and lawmakers violated political finance laws.

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