Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has changed his stance on the Liberal Democratic Party’s support for Lower House election candidates embroiled in a political slush funds scandal.

He seems to have been forced to take politically risky action by harsh public criticism.

However, without fresh and effective efforts to uncover the facts concerning the slush funds and push through fundamental reforms in political financing, Ishiba’s move is unlikely to do much to help restore trust in the discredited ruling party.

On Oct. 6, Ishiba announced that the LDP will not officially endorse some of the party lawmakers who have been disciplined over their involvement in the scandal as party candidates for single-seat districts in the upcoming general election.

Many of the Diet members affected by the move are senior members of the faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. These politicians will have to run without financial or other support from the party.

Even those who are endorsed among the scandal-tainted politicians will not be put on the party’s list of proportional representation candidates, thus preventing them from being elected even if they lose in their single-seat district races.

"By cutting off their escape routes, we leave their fate to the judgment of the voters," Ishiba stated.

Initially, the prime minister had confirmed the LDP leadership's intention not to revisit the slush fund issue when considering the party’s endorsements and support for candidates.

He was working with top party officials under the policy of endorsing even the implicated members as a matter of principle.

However, due to public backlash and concerns within the party about the negative impact on the election, a last-minute policy change was made just three days before the planned dissolution of the Lower House for a snap poll.

This move should not obscure the fact that the party's “disciplinary” actions, which Ishiba used as his criteria for judgment concerning the matter, were hasty window-dressing measures to give the impression that the party has held the politicians responsible and accountable for their misconduct.

In fact, no effective steps were taken to get to the bottom of the scandal.

The sanctions targeted only 39 of 85 individuals who failed to disclose in their political funding reports the money they received from slush funds accumulated by factions through fund-raising parties.

They represent those who failed to declare such income exceeding 5 million yen ($33,800) in total over the past five years.

Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, a member of the Abe faction, who is under a one-year party position suspension, is expected to be endorsed due to his attendance at the Diet’s Deliberative Council on Political Ethics to answer questions about the scandal.

However, Abe faction leaders gave inconsistent testimonies about the clandestine system for returning part of the proceeds from party ticket sales that exceeded the quota to individual politicians, which had once been decided to be abolished, leaving the truth unknown.

It's difficult to accept that attending the council sessions fulfills the responsibility of explaining things.

The handling of proportional representation-only members has not been disclosed, but obviously, they should not be allowed on the roster.

Although Ishiba repeatedly emphasized the importance of parliamentary debates before the dissolution of the Lower House, he declared his intention to call an election "as soon as possible" upon becoming party leader.

It remains to be seen whether the shift in endorsement policy will lead to decision-making that prioritizes the public interest over internal party matters.

On Oct. 7, the Diet session began for the representatives of parties to ask Ishiba questions about his policy speech. Despite claiming that he wanted to speak in “my own words," his responses were generally reiterations of past government explanations.

For example, Ishiba had shown support toward a proposal to introduce a system to allow married couples to use separate surnames during the party leadership election campaign. 

However, he told the Diet the issue “needs to be considered further in light of the opinions of various layers of the populace and trends in parliamentary discussions.”

This is hardly the way to provide sufficient material for the public to make informed decisions at the polls. It's not too late.

We suggest that Ishiba revisit the election schedule, return to the basics and devote ample time to debate in the Budget Committees.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 8