Deal over Political Reform Bill

Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, the President of Liberal Democratic Party reached a deal over amendment of Political Funds Control Act with the Head of Komeito, Natsuo Yamaguchi, and the leader of Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai), Nobuyuki Baba. LDP is going to revise its own bill, adding some proposals from Komeito and Ishin. Komeito and Ishin will vote for LDP’s revised bill which will be made as early as early June in the House of Representatives.

In the discussion between the LDP and Komeito before submitting the LDP bill, both parties split over the regulation on the sales of tickets for fundraising parties. While Komeito demanded that the name and other information of purchasers of the ticket who bought ¥50,000 or more, the amount which currently is ¥200,000, the LDP insisted the threshold had to be ¥100,000.

 

The LDP and Komeito were not torn apart, anyway. They shared their intention that the discussion over the bill would be continued after LDP submit its bill to the Diet. The focal point was about whether it should be ¥50,000 or ¥100,000. In the negotiation on the level of both secretary generals, they could not reach a deal. However, both leaders agreed on setting the threshold on ¥50,000 with compromise of Kishida.

 

Both parties offered a stage for their leaders to make a dramatic deal, as seen in summit talk by the national leaders in signing treaties or other diplomatic scene. LDP wanted to keep the threshold as high as possible. Komeito did not like to easily agree with the LDP’s bill, concerning its supporters’ criticisms against the LDP. It is likely that the LDP and Komeito had a scenario to conclude it by the leaders’ talk. Some newspapers called the deal slapstick comedy.

 

Kishida told Baba his idea to include Ishin’s proposal for disclosing the receipt of the policy activity fund, which would be transferred from a party to lawmakers without disclosing from whom to whom or how much the money was transferred. Upholding right wing policies and criticizing the leftist stance of the Constitutional Democratic Party or Japan Communist Party, Ishin has been isolated from the cooperation of the opposition parties against the LDP. The LDP helped Ishin by salvaging from the isolation.

 

The CDP insists on its revision of Political Fund Control Act, which includes total ban of donation from corporations or organizations. The LDP has no intention to accept that CDP’s idea, which will fundamentally damage the basis of the LDP.

 

The top priority for Kishida administration is to pass the bill by the end of the current session of the Diet set in late June. With approval of Komeito and Ishin, the LDP bill will pass the Lower House and be sent to the Upper House as early as June 4th. However, it is unclear whether the approval rate for Kishida will rise with the revision of the law, because the bill was a product of many compromises.

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