Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has announced plans to abolish policy activity allowances that political parties pay their member lawmakers, according to Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama. In an interview with media organizations, Moriyama stated that there is no doubt about moving towards abolishing the allowances. The LDP’s campaign platform for the upcoming House of Representatives election on October 27th includes a consideration of abolishing the allowance system in the future.
To address criticism of the lack of transparency in the system, Moriyama emphasized the importance of ensuring that such allowances are not used for purposes that would be difficult for the general public to understand. Key election issues will include how the LDP responds to a recent slush fund scandal involving party factions and their efforts towards regional revitalization measures.
Moriyama acknowledged that some measures have been taken by the LDP to take responsibility for the scandal. The party has decided not to endorse certain lawmakers involved in it as official candidates in the upcoming election. However, he believes it is now up to the public to make a judgment on these actions and whether they perceive any change within LDP.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s vision of creating a new Japan through regional revitalization was also discussed by Moriyama. He highlighted that achieving balanced development among cities is a significant challenge.
Regarding their goals for securing seats in parliament, Moriyama stated that their target is at least 233 seats together with Komeito, which is their coalition partner. However, he emphasized this as a minimum goal and did not provide further details on potential outcomes or strategies leading up to it.