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[Tom MoodyParticipant]

Ishiba questioned on political reform, social issues and the economy

In parliamentary questioning Monday, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was grilled over issues ranging from the Liberal Democratic Party’s approach to political reform and his stance on social issues to the content of a supplementary budget.
Ishiba reiterated his skepticism about abolishing corporate donations to political parties — a matter the ruling and opposition parties are set to debate in the coming months — and, instead, stressed the importance of boosting transparency on the handling of political funding and allowing people to freely express their political beliefs through monetary donations.

Answering questions from Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Ishiba said his party will work to present a bill on political reform in the coming weeks while engaging in negotiations with opposition parties.

“Our party doesn’t believe that corporate donations are inappropriate, per se,” Ishiba told the Lower House during the first day of parliamentary questioning. “What political parties must avoid is allowing donations to distort their policies.”

Opposition parties have long advocated for the full-fledged abolition of corporate donations to political parties on the grounds that endowments from private companies to the LDP have long affected policymaking. In 2023, the party received approximately ¥2.6 billion in donations from private donors, by far the most among all political parties.

Last week, all major parties kicked off formal negotiations on political reform. Ishiba has repeatedly said the LDP will seek to amend the political funds control law before year-end, but its loss of a majority in October’s election will force the party to compromise with the opposition.

After criticizing the LDP for falling short of promising any concrete action on this matter, Noda said abolishing corporate donations is the “cornerstone” of political reform, and called for open and transparent discussions on it.

“I am convinced that political reform is the most suitable theme when it comes to fostering deep discussion and openness between ruling and opposition parties,” he said, underscoring the need to properly address the “unfinished business” left over from the political reforms of the early 1990s.

Noda then went on to demand the government join a U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons, citing the recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, an A-bomb survivors group.

Although Ishiba had signaled during the recent election campaign that his administration would seriously consider participating as an observing country, on Monday he appeared reluctant to shift the government’s stance. Komeito, the LDP’s junior coalition partner, has long been in favor of joining the treaty.

The prime minister also appeared to backtrack on his stance of allowing married couples to have different surnames, on the grounds that public opinion is split. During the LDP’s presidential campaign, Ishiba had said he saw no reason to oppose the policy, which is important to the opposition.

Pressed by Noda over the size of the supplementary budget — ¥13.9 trillion, slightly higher than last year — Ishiba justified the sum by saying the government’s proposal includes concrete measures for the reconstruction of the earthquake-hit Noto region, as well as direct support for low-income families struggling with inflation.

When acting LDP Secretary-General Tatsuo Fukuda asked Ishiba about his stance on raising the income tax threshold — an issue currently at the center of a discussion between the LDP, Komeito and the opposition Democratic Party for the People — Ishiba hinted he’s aware the proposal has drawn some criticism.

“I recognize that there are various issues to consider, including from a specialized perspective, such as the impact on the economy and on tax revenues,” he said.

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