The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) plans to submit a bill to revise the Political Fund Control Law on its own after its junior coalition partner, Komeito, refused to accept its lenient proposals.
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.
The LDP's draft bill would lower the threshold for identifying purchasers of party tickets from 200,000 yen to 100,000 yen, while Komeito wants it lowered to 50,000 yen.
The LDP also wants to require politicians to disclose how they spent policy activity funds in general categories, while Komeito wants detailed reports based on itemized statements.
The LDP will submit its bill on May 17, at the earliest, after discussions within the party.
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.
However, it is unclear whether other parties will agree to the LDP's proposals, given the strong public criticism of the party's political fund scandal.