So Many Bills for Political Reform Submitted to the Diet

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) submitted a bill of revised Political Funds Control Act to the Diet, which would abolish the policy activity fund, a sort of money from a party to its members without disclosing how it had been used. Other parties also submitted other kinds of bills, which would set stricter rules against secret management of political funds. The parties are discussing unusually many bills over political reform in the Diet.

The bill submitted by LDP includes a clause that does not require disclosure of some sort of money with special purposes such as diplomatic relationship. While the LDP had been calling that kind of money “spendings with consideration,” it renamed that “spendings with consideration on how it was used.” Although the LDP explained it for avoiding misunderstandings, the opposition parties criticize it as creation of another loophole. The LDP has been creating loopholes in political funds, such as “the policy activity fund,” “kickbacks of fundraising party ticket sales,” or “donations by companies and organizations.”

 

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), with some other opposition parties, submitted its own bill, which would prohibit donations by companies and organizations. The law will prohibit political donation from private business enterprises or organizations including labor union, and purchasing tickets of fundraising party. However, some opposition parties, such as Japan Innovation Party or Democratic Party for the People (DPP), did not join the CDPJ bill, arguing that a loophole for political organizations is still remaining.

 

Instead of joining coalition of the opposition parties, the DPP submitted another bill with Komeito, the coalition partner of the LDP. DPP-Komeito bill would establish new third-party organization for overseeing management of political fund. Although both parties did not agree on the bill over how the organization would be established, they reached a deal with Komeito’s compromise to DPP’s draft which required the organization to be created in the Diet, not in the government of Japan.

 

The CDPJ also submitted with other four opposition parties a bill for regulating inheritance of political assets between families. The head of CDPJ, Yoshihiko Noda, has been accusing inherited LDP lawmakers who succeeded funds, supporters and name value from father. The CDPJ already submitted another bill to abolish the policy activity fund with other opposition parties.

 

There are some unusual moves among parties over political reform bills. The CDPJ included some opposition parties which did not share fundamental principles of politics, such as Japan Conservative Party. It is highly unusual for Komeito to submit a bill without co-sponsoring of the LDP. While Komeito does not have enough lawmakers to submit a bill, it chose the DPP, not the LDP, as a co-sponsor for the bill.

 

In the hung parliament, no bill among those can be expected to pass the House of Representatives with simple majority. It is likely for some parties to join other’s bill in the negotiation over political reform, which is the requirement of voters in last general election of the House in October.