Corporate donations must be banned -- Akahata editorial on January 10 (excerpts)

The Liberal Democratic Party Nagasaki prefectural office is now under the investigation of the Nagasaki District Prosecutors Office regarding its alleged acceptance of illegal donations at the time of the Nagasaki gubernatorial election in February 2002 from a construction company which had been awarded a prefectural contract.

Asahi Shimbun reported that four LDP branches, each headed by Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro and three other cabinet members, also received money from construction companies which were on contracts for public works projects with the central government. That was immediately before the 2000 House of Representatives and 2001 House of Councilors elections.

Under the Public Offices Election Law, those companies which are on a contract with central and local governments are prohibited from making donations to political parties.

The LDP Nagasaki office in 2001 just before the gubernatorial election asked the construction company for donations, saying that the party needs to win the election. It received 19-million yen from the company.

The problem is that this kind of illegal donation is prevalent in the LDP, in which its officials think that political donations are not illegal if they are reported as "political funds" instead of "campaign funds."

The only way to get rid of evasions and loopholes is to totally ban donations from companies that are under contract with central and local governments.

A politician's political activities are more or less connected with elections.

The simultaneous local elections are approaching. Corporate donations must be banned immediately to ensure that election campaigns are fair and democratic. (end)