LDP Mitigates Penalty on Its Members

The Governance Committee of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) submitted a report on reform of the party governance to the board of directors on June 2nd. The report recommended abolishing one of the penalties to its members, which was depriving official recognition of the party for the candidate in an election. Although the LDP introduced strict rules on its lawmakers who was involved in the slush fund scandal in 2024, it is mitigating the rules after a sweeping victory in the election in February 2026. The party recognizes those scandal-related members as cleansed by victory in the election.

In the scandal of failing in reporting reception of fund for ticket sales for fundraising parties of factions, the LDP, under the leadership of prime minister Fumio Kishida, punished 39 lawmakers in April 2024. Two lawmakers were recommended to leave the party, two were deprived of party membership for a year, one was deprived of party membership for six months, seventeen were excluded from any leadership in the party and other seventeen were simply reprimanded.

 

Kishida’s successor, Shigeru Ishiba, decided not to give official recognition to 12 candidates out of those 39 punished lawmakers in the Lower House election in October 2024. Those twelve candidates included Yasutoshi Nishimura, currently the chair of election strategy committee under the leadership of Sanae Takaichi, and Koichi Hagiuda, now LDP Executive Acting Secretary General.

 

Some lawmakers in the LDP complained that those 12 members who lost official candidacy of the LDP were double-punished, once being deprived of party membership or excluded from leader’s position, and then losing official recognition from the party for the election. Once a candidate loses official recognition, he or she will not receive funds for election campaign from the party.

 

The report of the Governance Committee recommended the LDP to exclude depriving official recognition in an election from eight punishments described in the rules of discipline. However, in the case of Nishimura, he was suspended his party membership at the time of October 2024 election. If the double punishment had been prohibited, the party may issue its official recognition to Nishimura who was not a member of the LDP.

 

Facing severe criticisms on unclear management of political funds by lawmakers and factions, the LDP revised its governance code in March 2024. The code declared that LDP would no longer have a faction. Even if some members organize a group for studying policies, the group would be separated from money and selection of leaders. The code prohibits any fundraising party and supply of political funds by a policy group.

 

Nevertheless, LDP lawmakers are resuming meetings with members of former factions under the name of “study group.” This is exactly the same trajectory of reorganization of factions as in the history of LDP. Although the LDP decided to abolish its faction in the guideline for political reform in 1989, factions reappeared as policy groups. Lacking viable system for non-factional politics, the LDP is loosening penalty for its members with wrong behavior.

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