The office of Fumio Kishida, when he was prime minister, gave gift certificates worth 100,000 yen ($670) to parliamentary secretaries in connection with a social gathering held at his official residence, sources said.

The revelation comes after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba admitted that his office distributed gift certificates worth the same amount to 15 first-time ruling party Lower House members ahead of a dinner at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence on March 3.

It suggested the possibility that the practice has continued as an established custom within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Kishida served as prime minister for three years from October 2021.

An LDP lawmaker who was appointed a parliamentary secretary in 2022 was invited to a social gathering with Kishida held at his official residence the same year.

The lawmaker told The Asahi Shimbun that a secretary at Kishida’s office delivered gift certificates worth 100,000 yen around the time of the gathering.

Another LDP source said 100 certificates, each worth 1,000 yen, were distributed per guest on the occasion of the gathering.

The person accepted the certificates after confirming that another lawmaker who attended received the vouchers.

In a statement on March 18, Kishida’s office said all meetings were conducted appropriately in accordance with the law and regulations but declined further comment.

As examples of meetings, the statement cited private social gatherings, “political activity” meetings held as an individual politician and “political activity” meetings held as a political organization.

The Asahi Shimbun also asked other former prime ministers if they doled out gift certificates.

In a statement, Yoshihide Suga, Kishida’s immediate predecessor, said he has held meetings with politicians and others and presented gifts on some occasions, including the period when he was not prime minister, but all complied with the law and regulations.

The office of Taro Aso, prime minister between September 2008 and September 2009, declined to comment.

Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, who served as prime minister between September 2011 and December 2012, said he never handed out gift certificates.