Photo/Illutration Officials from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito discuss revisions to the Political Fund Control Law on May 15. (Koichi Ueda)

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to submit a bill to revise the Political Fund Control Law on its own after its junior coalition partner refused to accept its lenient proposals, sources said.

“We have not agreed on some issues,” Lower House member Hiromasa Nakano of Komeito told reporters on May 15 after the LDP presented the outline of its draft bill. “It is difficult to say whether we can jointly submit a bill under the current circumstances.”

Revisions to the law have become a focus of Diet deliberations after the LDP became engulfed in a scandal centered around unreported revenues from fund-raising parties.

The LDP and Komeito have been at odds over two issues: the amount of party tickets for which their purchasers should be identified and the scope of policy activity expenses for which their usage should be disclosed.

Under the Political Fund Control Law, purchasers must be identified if they bought tickets to fund-raising parties costing more than 200,000 yen ($1,280).

The LDP’s draft bill would lower the threshold to more than 100,000 yen, much higher than the higher than 50,000 yen sought by Komeito.

Currently, politicians are not required to disclose how they spent policy activity funds they receive from political parties.

The LDP’s draft bill called for disclosure of expenditures for general categories, but Komeito has demanded detailed reports based on itemized statements. 

The LDP aimed to submit a bill partnered with Komeito. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called on Koemito’s leader, Natsuo Yamaguchi, to work on the issue together.

But Komeito has argued that the issue should be discussed among the ruling and opposition parties, effectively refusing to make compromises for a joint bill between the two parties.

The LDP will submit its bill on May 17, at the earliest, after discussions within the party, the sources said.

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and other opposition parties plan to submit their own bills to revise the Political Fund Control Law.

Lawmakers will discuss the issue mainly at the special committees on political reform established in both chambers of the Diet in April.

The LDP, which does not hold a majority in the Upper House, needs support from other parties to revise the law.

In addition to Komeito, the LDP has been negotiating with Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), an opposition party, behind closed doors.

But it appears unclear whether other parties, aware of the strong public criticism of the LDP’s political fund scandal, will give in and reach an agreement with the ruling party. 

Related News