DPFP, Komeito to Submit Bill to Japan’s Diet Regulating Political Donations

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Komeito Secretary General Makoto Nishida

The Democratic Party for the People and Komeito agreed on Thursday to jointly submit a bill to the current extraordinary Diet session to amend the Political Funds Control Law, which would strengthen regulations on political donations from corporations and organizations.

The amendment centers on limiting donation recipients to party headquarters and prefectural-level organizations. They will call for support from other parties, including the Liberal Democratic Party.

The parties’ proposal maintains the current total annual limit on donations from corporations and labor unions, ranging from ¥7.5 million to ¥100 million based on capital stock or union membership size. However, it would cap the maximum donation to any single organization at ¥20 million per year.

In the future, they aim to enact a political party law clarifying the authority and responsibilities of political parties and create a system in which only parties recognized by this law can receive donations.

Komeito had pressed the LDP to strengthen regulations on political donations from corporations and organizations but failed to gain support, leading to the dissolution of the coalition. The DPFP and Komeito combined do not hold a majority in either house of the Diet. “We want to encourage the ruling and opposition parties to come to an agreement,” said Komeito Secretary General Makoto Nishida.