Ishiba Reiterates Opposition to Ban on Corporate Donations

   Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday reiterated his opposition to an opposition-proposed ban on donations from companies and other organizations, while expressing his eagerness to revise the political funds control law by the end of this year.
   Regarding political reform in the wake of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's "slush fund" scandal, Ishiba told a meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, "If I don't do this, I don't know why I became a politician." He vowed to do everything he can as party and government leader.
   At the Lower House Budget Committee meeting, the first since Ishiba took office in October, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, claimed that there was a consensus among parties to ban corporate donations when the political party subsidy system was established in 1994.
   Ishiba countered that there was no such consensus and questioned the CDP's position, saying, "I wonder if it's right for political party management to rely excessively on public funds."
   Meanwhile, Noda called for a reinvestigation of lawmakers involved in the LDP money scandal, arguing that there are discrepancies between their testimonies and those of related party faction officials. Ishiba rejected the call, saying that no new facts have emerged about the scandal.

(2024/12/05-15:59)

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