June 11, 2024

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Yamashita Yoshiki on June 10 argued that corporate donations to political parties are basically bribes to buy government policies with the power of money, and demanded a ban on all types of political donations from business entities and other interest groups.

At a meeting of the Upper House Special Committee on Political Reform on the same day, Yamashita took up the government’s negative attitude toward its task to tackle climate change, saying, “Japan is the only G7 country that has been turning its back on the goal of eliminating coal-fired power generation within the generally agreed upon set period,”

He then revealed that 30 of the top 50 corporate CO2 emitters have been making political donations to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and that they have been accepting former LDP politicians to high-ranking corporate positions or sending their employees to the LDP as staff through the revolving door.

Large corporations and industries do not have the right to vote, but they can influence LDP politics with their enormous power of money. Yamashita pointed out that it is precisely money of this kind that lies behind the government stance of unwillingness to move away from coal-fueled power generation. He again demanded a total ban on political donations from corporations and other organizations.

Past related article:
> Opposition parties unite to ban donations from corporation and interest groups [May 29, 2024]