LDP Proposes Revisions to Political Fund Control Law
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) released proposals on April 23rd to revise the Political Fund Control Law in response to the recent unreported funds scandal. However, the proposals have drawn criticism for failing to address several key issues.
One proposed change is the requirement for "letters of confirmation" to verify the accuracy of political fund balance reports. Additionally, lawmakers would face penalties and suspension of civil rights if their accounting officials are found guilty of making false statements in these reports, provided the lawmakers did not adequately check the reports before issuing confirmation.
The LDP initially resisted calls for such a "guilty-by-association" system, but ultimately yielded to pressure from within and outside the party. The scandal involved LDP factions returning unreported funds to individual lawmakers, prompting accusations that politicians were evading responsibility.
To address this concern, the LDP proposal requires lawmakers to issue letters of confirmation after reviewing the reports prepared by accounting officials. The officials would also be required to submit the reports and confirmations.
However, critics argue that the proposal lacks specifics on how the confirmation process should be conducted. Additionally, the LDP did not propose a ban on corporate and organizational donations, nor did it require disclosure on the use of policy activity funds, which currently remain unreported.
With Prime Minister Fumio Kishida aiming to revise the law during the current Diet session, negotiations are expected to be challenging due to the discrepancies between the LDP's proposals and those of its coalition partner, Komeito, and opposition parties.