The first regular session of the Diet since the slush fund scandal that rocked the ruling Liberal Democratic Party at the end of last year effectively concluded on June 21.
The scandal became a test of whether the Diet could dispel public distrust not just of the LDP but of politics as a whole, but it has made only half-hearted efforts to reform a flawed political funding system.
Half-baked bills that have a direct bearing on the future of the nation were passed one after another without sufficient deliberation, leaving many important questions unresolved.
Neither Prime Minister Fumio Kishida nor the Diet have fully responded to the people’s expectations. If the severe political situation in which it is impossible to restore trust in the Diet continues, the foundations of Japanese democracy may be shaken. The political crisis is becoming more serious.
Many questions remain
When the slush fund issue came to light, the first thing to be tackled was to clarify the facts. However, the LDP did not conduct an independent investigation by a third party, and interviews by party executives with those involved were merely perfunctory, and no proper explanation was given as to how the funds were used.
The House of Representatives and House of Councillors Political Ethics Committees were attended by leading figures from the faction of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is at the center of the controversy, but in the latter half of the Diet session, an incident occurred that cast doubt on the credibility of the statements made by the faction leaders at the committees.
The issue concerns the practice of returning part of the profits from fundraising parties to individual politicians as undeclared money, which political parties have decided to abolish. According to an accountant from the former Abe faction who was indicted for falsifying political funding reports, the decision to continue the practice was made at a meeting of party executives.
The officials’ statements in court clearly contradicted the assertion by the three executives that no such decision had been made at the ethics committee meeting.
Kishida himself gave a phone interview to former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, but Mori later revealed in a monthly magazine article that this was merely a formality, and it was clearly an attempt to shift the political debate over the scandal to the issue of reforming the political funding system without revealing the truth.
The pursuit of accountability for the lawmakers involved in the scandal is also a formality. The House of Representatives and House of Councillors Political Ethics Committee unanimously decided to question 73 lawmakers who received slush funds, but none of them showed up.
Former Secretary-General Nikai Toshihiro, who avoided punishment by announcing that he would not run in the next House of Representatives election, will hand over his local support base to his third son. Former Policy Research Council Chairman Hagiuda Koichi, who was suspended from party duties for failing to report approximately 30 million yen in political funds, continues to serve as chairman of the LDP Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly League, as local organizations are not subject to punishment.
These facts inevitably cast doubt on the sincerity of the “remorse” that the LDP claims to have. It is unacceptable to bring the matter to a close with this Diet session.
Hollowing out of the legislature
Although the revised Political Funds Control Act was enacted, it does not achieve the fundamental reform of political funds that the public is calling for; various loopholes remain, and many of these reforms may not be realized depending on future consideration.
For the time being, the black box status of “policy activity expenses,” through which political parties provide direct funding to individual politicians, will remain.
The LDP has firmly refused to revise the rules on corporate and organizational donations, which have been criticized by the public for fear they could lead to preferential treatment, and also passed a bill to strengthen regulations on fundraising parties, which are at the heart of the problem.
“Democracy always costs money. We must resolutely avoid reforms that will have a lasting impact on the future,” said Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Aso Taro, speaking for the party’s inner thoughts.
In the current political funding system, which has fallen into the so-called “money politics,” political parties and politicians who are skilled at raising funds hold the power. They are refusing reforms to increase the transparency of political funding, making it impossible for the public to check how the money is used.
How long will this situation continue? There is a huge gap between the norms and customs of the political community and the commonly held values and common sense of the people.
In the current Diet session, it was only natural that both the ruling and opposition parties would focus on political reform in the wake of the slush fund scandal. There seems to be a growing movement toward formalizing the Diet.‘Deliberations on bills that will have a major impact on the public‘Protect the rights and lives of
The background to this is the government’s increasing efforts to limit the content of bills, with details to be decided by government ordinances and guidelines enacted after the bill is passed, providing an excuse to avoid detailed explanations during Diet deliberations.
If Kishida wants to be re-elected
This trend was evident in the major bills currently being debated in the Diet, including the introduction of an “aptitude assessment system” that would limit the handling of important information on economic security to only those the government deems suitable, a proposed revision to the Local Autonomy Act that would allow the national government to provide guidance to local governments in emergencies, and a bill to prevent sexual violence against children that would require operators of child care facilities to check the sexual offense histories of staff who come into contact with children.
Leaving parts of the system that are fundamental to it and that could lead to arbitrary implementation by the government will invite problems in the future. To restore the legislative oversight function, the government’s stance needs to change. This will also test the strength of the opposition.‘Ability to effectively address problem invoices.
With the Diet adjourning without a general election being held, the political focus has shifted to the Liberal Democratic Party.‘The presidential election will be held in the fall. The Cabinet‘The party’s approval rating remains at an all-time low, and Kishida’s influence and leadership within the party are declining. If he is to seek reelection, he needs to achieve convincing results in domestic and foreign affairs and regain the public’s trust.
At a press conference on June 21, Kishida said, “There is no end to political reform.” It is hard to believe these words unless he immediately begins to tackle the issues that have been put off.
In the current Diet session, the relationship between the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Masahito Moriyama, and the Unification Church (officially known as the World Peace Unification Family) was brought up. The relationship between the Liberal Democratic Party and this dubious religious organization remains unclear, and the party’s pledge to sever ties with the church also requires scrutiny.
The LDP should not think for a moment that the public will eventually forget about its ties with the church and the issue of secret funds between factions.
The ruling party must be keenly aware that its very essence, characteristics, and culture are being called into question.
–Asahi Shimbun, June 22
