TOKYO: Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday broadly approved a plan to abolish the policy activity funds that political parties provide to member lawmakers, amid criticism of a lack of transparency in the use of the funds.
The plan was included in a draft revision of the political funds control law presented by the LDP leadership at the day’s general meeting of the party’s political reform headquarters in the presence of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, also LDP president.
After holding talks with the opposition camp on the issue, the LDP aims to submit and enact a bill to revise the law at an extraordinary session of the Diet to be convened on Nov. 28.
The talks with the opposition camp may not go smoothly, however, as the LDP draft does not mention a possible ban on political donations by companies and other organizations, which is advocated by opposition parties including the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party).
During the two-hour meeting, which was attended by about 90 LDP lawmakers, Ishiba said, “We received a lot of criticism (over a high-profile political funds scandal involving LDP factions) from the people in the House of Representatives election (in October).” The LDP-Komeito coalition lost its Lower House majority in the election.
“I want our party to lead discussions (on political reform in the wake of the scandal) and play its role as a responsible party,” Ishiba added.
The LDP draft clearly states that the policy activity funds will be abolished, while leaving room to keep some expenses of political parties secret, such as those related to diplomacy and privacy.
It also calls for the establishment of a third-party organization to audit political funds, and noted that the organization will basically be set up under the Diet, but that the possibility of placing it under the government will also be considered.
Meanwhile, it includes a plan to bar foreign nationals from purchasing tickets to political fundraising events.
Other measures in the draft include the creation of a database of political funds reports, the establishment of a system to suspend subsidies to political parties whose lawmakers have been indicted for violating the political funds control law, and the elimination of a tax break for donations made by lawmakers to the party branches they head.
JIJI Press