Members of the Liberal Democratic Party gathered in Tokyo on April 23 to discuss recommendations for amending the Political Fund Control Law following the unreported funds scandal that caused a stir within and outside the party. Among the proposals put forward is the introduction of "letters of confirmation" to verify the accuracy of political fund balance reports prepared by political organizations.
A key aspect of the LDP's suggestions is the idea that lawmakers should be held accountable if their accounting officials are penalized for discrepancies or misstatements in the fund reports. This "guilty-by-association" system would lead to the suspension of civil rights for lawmakers whose accounting officials are found at fault. While the LDP initially hesitated to address this issue, pressure from various quarters pushed the party to include it in their proposals.
Criticism arose from the fact that during the scandal, certain LDP factions returned money to individual lawmakers that had not been disclosed in their political fund reports. This practice raised questions about accountability, with many lawmakers claiming they were unaware of the discrepancies and shifting blame to the accounting officials involved. Consequently, the proposals by the LDP aim to enforce stricter oversight by requiring lawmakers to issue letters of confirmation and take responsibility for verifying the accuracy of the fund reports prepared by their accounting officials.