Photo/Illutration The Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo has come under fire over payments to party branches. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s distribution of money to party branches headed by members disciplined in the political funding scandal has raised serious doubts about its commitment to mend its way.

The LDP has withheld its official endorsement to scandal-tainted candidates in the Oct. 27 Lower House election, supposedly to send a message that these politicians must dispel voters’ distrust on their own.

If the LDP is working behind the scenes to provide non-endorsed candidates the same level of support given to officially endorsed candidates, one must question how deeply the LDP is reflecting on the funding scandal.

According to media reports, the day after the official campaign started for the election, LDP headquarters provided 20 million yen ($131,750) each to branches headed by non-endorsed candidates.

The cash came from political party grants funded by tax money and was intended to help cover “activity expenses to expand party strength.”

The day after the Lower House was dissolved for the election, the branches of endorsed candidates received 5 million yen as endorsement grants plus 15 million yen to cover activity expenses, totaling 20 million yen.

Considering the timing of the payments and the equal amounts, the LDP is being seen as providing “de facto endorsements” to the non-endorsed candidates through financial support to their branches.

The LDP argues the funds are for organizational activities and “were not given to the candidates.”

However, it is well-known that party branches have functioned as the de facto “wallets” of the politicians who lead them.

Although these candidates are not endorsed, they still belong to the LDP and are facing no direct challenges from the party’s candidates in the election.

Influential LDP lawmakers, such as Sanae Takaichi, the former economic security minister, have supported the campaigns of these penalized candidates in their electoral districts.

It is clear the non-endorsed politicians are “LDP-affiliated” candidates, and the party leadership is expected to “re-endorse” them if they are successful in the election.

Efforts to expand party strength and support candidates are two sides of the same coin.

This matter was first reported by the Japanese Communist Party’s newspaper, Shinbun Akahata (red flag). Following comments from LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama that the funds were provided to support “activities to expand party strength,” other media outlets reported on the matter.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba emphasized in a campaign speech on the streets on Oct. 24 that the funds were given not to individual candidates but to party branches, and that the non-endorsed candidates are not allowed to use the money for their campaigns.

“I am truly outraged that such reports are appearing at a time like this,” he fumed. “We cannot afford to be defeated by such reports.”

With “politics and money” continuing to be a major issue in the Lower House election, there is intense scrutiny on how political parties and politicians use their funds.

The LDP says since both endorsed and non-endorsed candidates have the same status as party branch heads, it treated them equally. But did the party ever consider how this would appear to the public?

Ishiba has avoided using the term “slush funds” in referring to the scandal in speeches and instead used the phrase “unreported funds,” apparently to downplay the issue.

In addition, the LDP remains less than eager to tackle the challenge of carrying through political funding reforms.

Although the party says it will consider a proposal to eventually abolish “seisaku katsudo-hi” (policy activity expenses), which the LDP currently distributes to individual party executives, it does not specify a time frame for taking the step.

The LDP has also not touched on a review of the rules concerning political donations by businesses and other organizations.

With such an attitude, the LDP cannot hope to dispel doubts about its self-cleaning capabilities.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 25

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