Japan Press Weekly

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2022 February 2 - 8 [POLITICS]

JCP submits bill to abolish gov't subsidies to political parties

The Japanese Communist Party Dietmembers' group on February 4 submitted to the House of Councilors a "bill to abolish government subsidies to political parties". In addition, JCP Policy Commission Chair Tamura Tomoko held a press conference in the Diet building to explain the bill.

Tamura said that political funds should come from private contributions, and that this is the way to guarantee the right of every individual to participate in politics.

The system of government subsidies to political parties allocates taxpayers' money to each party. Tamura criticized this system for "forcing people to donate to political parties which they do not support". She said that the JCP has been refusing to accept the subsidy on the grounds that it infringes upon the constitutional rights to "freedom of thought and conscience" and "freedom to decide which party to support".

Tamura pointed out that the government subsidies distributed to political parties between 1995 and 2021 totaled 846 billion yen, and that most parties rely heavily on this for their operating costs. She cited that 120 million yen out of the 150 million yen in campaign funds was offered by the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters to former Justice Minister Kawai Katsuyuki and his wife Anri who committed bribery in the 2019 Upper House election. She said, "Their vote-buying scandal shed light on the harmful effects of the government subsidy system, criticizing the system for "contributing to political corruption".

She noted that the system was introduced on the pretext of banning political contributions from corporations and organizations but such political donations still exist, enabling political parties to enjoy a "double income" from the government subsidy and from corporate/organizational donations. She said, "In combination with the single-seat constituency system, the government subsidy system deteriorates the ethical dimentions of political parties."

Tamura added that whether to maintain the system harmful to democracy is called into question, saying, "The JCP will call on all political parties and political groups to discuss the bill in the Diet and will make efforts to increase public awareness of the need to abolish the government subsidy system."