Japan Press Weekly

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2013 December 18 - 24 [POLITICS]

31.8 billion yen in state subsidies granted to political parties with JCP refusing the subsidy

Political parties with the sole exception of the Japanese Communist Party on December 20 received from the Internal Affairs Ministry 7,987,550,000 yen in total as the last of this year’s four installments of government subsidies to political parties.

The Liberal Democratic Party received 3.89 billion yen, the Democratic Party of Japan 1.75 billion yen, the Japan Restoration Party 799 million yen, the Komei Party 648 million yen, the Your Party 566 million yen, the People’s Life Party 190 million yen, the Social Democratic Party 112 million yen, and the Japan Renaissance Party 26.5 million yen.

The government used a total of 31,870,830,000 yen in taxpayers’ money this year to subsidize political parties.

The yearly amount of subsidies to the LDP totaled 15.05 billion yen, up by 48% from the previous year because it gained a number of seats in the Diet in the two national elections held in December 2012 and July this year.

The DPJ subsidy totaled to 7.77 billion yen, 53% less than the previous year’s amount due to major losses in the two elections.

The Japan Restoration, People’s Life and Green Wind parties for the first time applied for the government subsidy system since their inauguration last year. A total of 2.96 billion yen was granted to the Japan Restoration Party and 788 million yen to the People’s Life Party. The Green Wind Party received 80.9 million yen in subsidies but dissolved itself after the July Upper House election.

The JCP has continued to demand the abolition of the system and has never applied for it.

Past related article:
> Party subsidies spoil political parties [January 18, 2013]