In the wake of the fundraising scandal involving the ruling Liberal Democratic Party,On the 22nd, the House of Representatives began deliberating five amendments to the Political Funds Control Act.
However, the bill submitted by the LDP did not receive the support of the ruling coalition, and is unlikely to be approved in the current Diet session, despite Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s campaign promise.
Lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party and opposition parties explained the outline of the bill at the House of Representatives Special Committee on Political Reform on the 22nd.
Kishida stated that he would have the bill approved by the Diet before the current regular session closes on June 23.
“The biggest focus of the current Diet session is the revision of the Political Funds Control Law to prevent the recurrence of (the scandal),” Kishida said at the House of Councillors Budget Committee on the 22nd, adding that “we will achieve this by the end of the session.”
Keisuke Suzuki, a member of the House of Representatives, emphasized the importance of transparency in political funding in his explanation of the Liberal Democratic Party’s bill.
Suzuki told the special committee, “We should aim to realize politics that costs less money, and, on the premise that politicians respect their autonomy, we should establish necessary provisions in the law to ensure transparency regarding necessary political funds.”
The LDP aimed to submit the bill jointly with its ruling coalition partner, the Komeito Party.
However, Komeito demanded stricter regulations, forcing the LDP to act alone. Komeito did not submit its own bill.
Since the Liberal Democratic Party does not have a majority in the House of Councilors, it will need support from other parties to revise the law.
The main opposition parties, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party of the People, submitted the bill along with a coalition of independent members.
The other opposition party, the Japan Restoration Party, also submitted a separate bill.
The Liberal Democratic Party is calling for tougher penalties to prevent a recurrence, while other parties are prioritizing improving the transparency of political funding.
The LDP and Komeito parties, among others, continue to be at odds over disclosure rules for fundraising parties, which are at the heart of the LDP scandal, and over the review of policy activity expenses, which politicians are not required to declare.
The Liberal Democratic Party hopes to have the bill passed by the House of Representatives by the end of May at the earliest, but negotiations with other parties are expected to be difficult.
