Political Reform Passes Deadline
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba failed in implementing his words that he would conclude the reform of political donation from companies and organizations. While the opposition parties except Democratic Party for the People (DPP) agreed on banning all those donations, the leading coalition, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito with support of the DPP, insists on preserving their source of political funds. Keeping majority in the Diet for the donations to remain, Ishiba does not care the delay of discussion over political funds. The LDP sank into a quagmire of slush fund scandal last year, the scandal which pushed former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to resignation, and Ishiba faced serious defeat in the general election of the House of Representatives last fall. The parties in the Diet agreed on abolishing “policy activities fund,” which enabled party leaders to spend political fund without disclosing the purpose, in the extraordinary session of the Diet in December. However, ...