No Enthusiasm for Party Reform

The Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday established Political Reform Headquarters to discuss the measures dealing with political funds and role of the factions in the party. While some lawmakers argue abolishing factions in LDP, the discussion goes on with a basic notion that factions are necessary for political activities. Although Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterates his willingness to reform the party, fundamental change of political culture of LDP might be unexpectable. 

Kishida announced establishment of the headquarters, headed by himself, at the end of last year, asked about what would he be doing on the slush fund scandal discovered mainly in Abe faction. Kishida named former Prime Ministers Taro Aso and Yoshihide Suga for the supreme advisors of the headquarters. What invited skepticisms on it was that ten lawmakers with Abe faction, as many as independent ones, were appointed. According to the news reports, whether they have been involved in the scandal is not reconfirmed.

 

One of the main topics in the first meeting was how to control political funds. Abe faction had an internal rule that if the sales of fundraising party tickets exceeded the quota on each member, the surplus would be returned to each member. The talking points are lowering the threshold of reporting the sales from ¥200 thousand to ¥50 thousand, imposing heavier penalty on a violation and introducing a system in which a lawmaker automatically loses the status, once his/her staff is found guilty.

 

Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Friday that LDP’s coalition partner, Komeito, was going to issue their reform vision. It includes disclosure of “policy activity spendings,” one of the funds from a political party which is not mandated to report. Asahi Shimbun reported that Kishida had decided to aim at amending Political Funds Control Act for stricter regulation on political funds.

 

Another dispute is whether the factions in LDP should be abolished or not. In the first meeting of LDP headquarters, Suga reportedly proposed abolishment of factions as an understandable measure for the public. The same arguments were raised by independent lawmakers including former Minister of Environment, Shinjiro Koizumi. However, LDP Secretary General, Toshimitsu Motegi, discussed that factions would be for studying policies and educating young politicians as a complement to the party.

 

Raising trivial proposals such as depositing the sales of fundraising parties to a bank account or establishing auditing body in LDP, Kishida basically is not willing to abolish fundraising party nor faction. Some opposition parties are demanding both abolitions to LDP. Although they are accusing LDP in the discussion of next Diet session, there is no obvious enthusiasm in LDP for the reform, as long as the opposition parties are too weak to defeat LDP in next election.