Tokyo prosecutors search offices of key ruling party factions

TOKYO (Reuters) -Tokyo prosecutors on Tuesday searched the offices of two powerful political factions within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), public broadcaster NHK reported, in connection with the biggest fundraising scandal to engulf the party in decades.

Prosecutors suspect the Abe faction of failing to report as much as 500 million yen ($3.5 million) in funds over five years, while the smaller Nikai faction was believed not to have reported 100 million yen, NHK said.

The Tokyo prosecutors' office declined to confirm the reports when contacted by Reuters.

The scandal has eroded public support for the LDP and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government, forcing him to replace key cabinet ministers last week as he tried to limit the fallout.

Polls conducted over the weekend by the Asahi, Yomiuri and Nikkei newspapers put the embattled premier's support ratings around 20%, the lowest for any prime minister in more than a decade.

"The Party (LDP) must work to restore the trust of the people with a strong sense of urgency," Kishida told reporters on Tuesday. He declined to comment on the specifics of the investigation, which he said "must be carried out rigorously".

In comments to reporters on Monday, Kishida touched on the possibility of legal reform to regain the public's confidence but gave no details.

Prosecutors allege that the factions hid hundreds of millions of yen in political funds, including by leaving ticket sales for party events off the books, according to multiple media reports.

The Abe faction, once headed by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is the LDP's biggest and includes ousted industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and ex-chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno.

The Nikai faction is led by LDP kingpin Toshihiro Nikai.

"I apologise from my heart. We will cooperate with the authorities with all sincerity and work towards resolving this issue," Jiji news agency quoted Nikai as saying in a statement.

($1 = 143.3900 yen)

(Reporting by Tokyo Newsroom; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Edmund Klamann)