Ethics Council in Upper House

The Deliberative Council on Political Ethics in House of Councillors decided that it would designate thirty-two lawmakers, who were involved in the slush fund scandal of Liberal Democratic Party, to invite to the session expected to be held later next week. The decision does not have power to force those lawmakers to attend the committee. The number of attendees may be a criterion for LDP lawmakers how they take this issue seriously.

While the parties were negotiating in the Lower House on how they would have DCPE, on who would attend or whether it should be open or closed, the Upper House DCPE decided to have a session on the scandal. While there was no example in the Upper House to have a session for lawmakers involved in a scandal to speak to the council, the opposition parties, with one-third necessary approval among the council members, requested to have a session. LDP agreed on it, recognizing the necessity of the session as they see public criticisms on the scandal.

 

The DCPE session is held basically with voluntary intention of a lawmaker who wants to speak to the council. One of the five leaders of Abe faction, Hiroshige Seko, expressed his willingness to attend the council, if it would hold a session. The opposition parties demanded thirty-one LDP lawmakers and Yasutada Ono, who left LDP after indicted by the public prosecutors. They were listed as receiving secret fund from faction in the internal research of LDP.

 

Although the council has decided to have a session, it is not clear whether all of those thirty-two lawmakers will appear. While one of the members of Abe faction, Shoji Nishida, raised his hand to speak to the council, following Seko, the rest of the lawmakers have not decided what to do. Seko and Nishida, affiliated to Abe faction, said that they would be willing to speak about the treatment of political fund in the session open to the public.

 

Among the eighty-five members who were listed in LDP research, thirty-two were the members of Upper House. The opposition parties demanded participation of all of them to the council. However, most of those thirty-two are not the leaders of faction. It is likely that they have been dealing with the fund as they had been instructed by the faction. They are frustrated with the faction leaders who had been responsible for controlling political fund.

 

“I will urge the lawmakers to take responsibility for explaining about the scandal taking every opportunity,” said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the meeting with the leaders with leading parties. If the number of attendees falls too short of, Kishida will reveal decline of his power as the top leader. Considering news reports that the factions returned larger amount of fund to the members of Upper House in the year of election,the opposition parties hope to discuss whether the fund was spent for elections.

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