Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Monday that his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is prepared to engage in discussions with other parties regarding revisions to the political funds control law in the wake of a slush fund scandal that has tarnished the ruling party’s reputation.
Addressing a parliamentary session, Kishida outlined the LDP’s intentions to propose amendments to the law, including the implementation of measures to establish culpability by association between lawmakers and their staff members, aiming to establish a more rigorous management system.
Kishida further revealed that he has directed party executives to form a panel comprising external experts to interrogate individuals implicated in the ongoing slush fund scandal. The objective is to ascertain the methods employed in collecting and utilizing political funds.
The LDP, under Kishida’s leadership, has faced intense scrutiny following allegations that certain factions within the party failed to report proceeds from fundraising events over an extended period, resulting in the accumulation of illicit funds.
Earlier this month, members of the implicated factions, including one formerly led by Kishida, were indicted for suspected violations of the political funds control law. However, executive members of the central faction involved in the scandal were not charged due to insufficient evidence.
In a series of internal reform proposals ratified on Thursday, the LDP pledged to move away from the factional system as a means of securing funds and nominating candidates for key governmental and party positions. Nonetheless, the party permitted factions to persist under the guise of “policy groups.”
Notably absent from the reform proposals was any mention of the potential introduction of culpability by association in the political funds control law. Such a provision would mandate the resignation or disqualification of lawmakers if their staff members are convicted of wrongdoing.
During a session of the House of Representatives budget committee dedicated to intensive deliberations on the slush funds scandal, Kishida extended his apologies for undermining public trust in the political arena and vowed to play a pivotal role in instituting reforms.
The ongoing ordinary Diet session commenced on Friday. While it is customary for the prime minister to deliver a policy speech on the inaugural day, Kishida opted to postpone his address following the LDP’s agreement to the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s demand for a dedicated session to address the scandal.
Kishida is slated to deliver his speech at the podium on Tuesday, marking the first such address since the revelation of the slush fund scandal late last year.