TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida apologized for the secret slush fund scandals involving the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) at a parliamentary panel on Thursday.

Kishida vowed to advance political reforms and to amend the political funds control law to restore public trust during a televised session of the House of Representatives political ethics committee.

Kishida became the first incumbent prime minister to attend the deliberative council on political ethics, last held in July 2009, national news agency Kyodo reported.

The committee is responsible for examining the political and moral conduct of lawmakers who face allegations of wrongdoing.

Approval ratings for Japan's ruling LDP have sunken to a record low in the wake of its slush fund scandal, according to the latest opinion poll conducted by Jiji Press.

The public support rate for the LDP dropped to 14.6 percent, down 3.7 percentage points from the previous month, marking the lowest rate since the monthly poll started in 1960, excluding periods when the LDP was an opposition party, the January survey showed.