An unseemly blame game is playing out within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on the issue of responsibility for supplying party funds to the election campaign of a former LDP lawmaker convicted of electoral fraud. Since the question concerns how tax-financed state subsidies to the LDP were used, the party has an obligation to offer clear answers to all related questions.

Some LDP heavyweights have engaged in finger-pointing and denials with regard to the party’s decision to provide 150 million yen ($1.3 million) to support the campaign of Anri Kawai, who has been convicted of vote-buying through cash payments to local politicians before she won an Upper House seat in the 2019 election.

In a May 17 news conference, LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai denied any involvement in the debacle. Motoo Hayashi, the LDP deputy secretary-general and Nikai’s close aide, pointed the finger of blame at Akira Amari, saying the party’s election bureau chief at that time, namely Amari, was in charge of the matter.

But on the following day, Amari flatly denied having played any role in the process, claiming he was “not involved, not even a micrometer.” Then, Nikai again stressed that he had nothing to do with the matter. When reporters kept peppering Nikai with questions, Hayashi jumped in to protect his boss. “Do not be so intrusive and ask him about every detail of the inner workings of the party,” he said.

After the LDP-backed candidate was defeated by an opposition contender in an April election to fill the Upper House seat vacated by the invalidation of Kawai’s election due to her conviction of electoral fraud, Nikai said, “We accept (the election result) with humility and will work to make the party prepared to do better in the future.” His humble words turned out to be empty talk. He does not seem to care one bit about the harsh voter verdict on the scandal.

Of the 150 million yen the LDP provided to the Kawai campaign, 120 million came from tax-financed state subsidies. Reporters have every right to keep asking questions until they get convincing answers from the party and politicians. Those individuals have an obligation to respond sincerely to such questions.

Anri Kawai’s husband, Katsuyuki, a former justice minister and LDP lawmaker, who pleaded guilty in late March to buying votes for her, reiterated in his closing statement during his trial that he did not use “a single yen” in state funds to buy votes. If so, what did he spend the money on? His claim lacks conviction unless he provides details about the use of the money backed by solid evidence.

The LDP’s move to field Anri as its candidate for the Hiroshima electoral district was led by Shinzo Abe, who was the prime minister and LDP president at that time. Abe should clarify whether he was in any way involved in the party’s unusually massive support for the Kawai campaign. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who succeeded Abe after serving as his chief Cabinet secretary for many years, also provided strong support for the campaign. Suga also has a responsibility to explain his role in the matter.

A rapidly growing number of ruling party lawmakers are calling for a revision to the law regulating the salaries and allowances paid to Diet members to make it possible to recover compensation paid to lawmakers whose elections have been invalidated. As a Lower House election must be held by autumn, these LDP members are apparently trying to convince voters that the party is taking its responsibility for the scandal seriously. But the party should first take steps to uncover the truth behind the scandal.

In Hiroshima, the prefectural assembly held a meeting of its political ethics panel on May 18 to question the 13 assembly members who allegedly received cash from the Kawai campaign, including those affiliated with the LDP. But the meeting was closed to the public and the members offered nothing but cursory explanations.

None of them announced their resignation to take responsibility. One of the assembly members responded to a reporter’s question by saying it was “morai jiko” (a traffic accident for which the other side is at fault). These assembly members showed no signs that they are engaged in serious soul searching over the fact they received illegal cash.

The LDP, as the governing party, should be ashamed of how its members, from party executives to local assembly members, are taking such an irresponsible attitude toward the vote-buying scandal.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 21