Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has stated that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is currently in the process of selecting candidates for the upcoming House of Representatives election. Speaking at a plenary session of the lower house, Ishiba emphasized that no official party candidates have been decided upon yet. This comes after Ishiba announced criteria on Sunday for those who will not be endorsed for the official party ticket in the election, which is scheduled to take place on October 27th with official campaigning starting on October 15th.
During a question and answer session with Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan President Yoshihiko Noda, Ishiba addressed punitive measures for LDP members who failed to report their income in political funds reports. He stated that these measures were determined justly through discussions at the Party Ethics Committee, which included outside experts.
Furthermore, when asked about funds provided by political parties to member lawmakers for political activities, Ishiba mentioned the possibility of abolishing these funds. In response to questioning by Itsunori Onodera, chairperson of the LDP’s Policy Research Council, Prime Minister Ishiba expressed his commitment to enhancing transparency in political funds and considering future abolition of such funds.
The selection process for official party candidates remains ongoing as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba continues his efforts towards ensuring transparency and accountability within Japan’s political landscape.