Japan Lawmaker Allowance Reform in Limbo

   Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)--Efforts to reform controversial allowances for Japanese lawmakers have stalled, as an agreement between two key parties on the issue lacks a specific deadline.
   In late May, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Nobuyuki Baba, leader of opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), inked an agreement to take legislative steps to require the disclosure of how the allowances are used and the return of unspent funds.
   The agreement was reached on the condition that Nippon Ishin would back the LDP's bill to revise the political funds control law. However, Nippon Ishin withdrew its support for the bill as the LDP was coordinating to forgo a law revision on the allowance reform during this year's ordinary session of the Diet, which ended in June.
   Still, the agreement itself was not necessarily scrapped. In June, the steering committee of the House of Representatives decided to hold hearings on the issue with former speakers, vice speakers and secretaries-general of the lower chamber. But two months later, only some of the Lower House hearings have been scheduled, while the House of Councillors has yet to decide who will be invited to hearings.
   During a parliamentary debate among party leaders at the end of the ordinary session, Kishida told Baba that he was willing to enact a law revision for the allowance reform as soon as possible.

(2024/08/15-10:30)

To read a full story, please click here to find out how to subscribe.