Kishida tops party leaders’ political income rankings

Jiji Press

15:13 JST, December 3, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, raised the most political funds among leaders of the country’s seven major political parties in 2021, according to their funds reports.

Kishida raised ¥229.26 million in political funds last year, making him the only party leader to earn more than ¥100 million. An LDP president topped the rankings for the eighth straight year.

His political income increased by over ¥70 million from the previous year. He raised ¥128.42 million through eight political fundraisers and other projects, while earning ¥69.98 million through donations.

Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the opposition Democratic Party for the People, was a distant second, raising ¥72.52 million in political funds in 2021, up by over ¥50 million from the previous year.

Tamaki rose one position on the rankings from 2020. His total included ¥40 million in grants from the DPFP and ¥24.35 million in donations. Of the donations, ¥10.79 million came from individuals, higher than the amount of individual donations received by Kishida.

Nobuyuki Baba, head of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), came in third place, earning ¥59.58 million. Donations from individuals accounted for ¥39.99 million, or around 70% of the total.

In fourth place was Kenta Izumi, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, with ¥35.51 million, up by nearly ¥15 million from the previous year. He gave up two places in this year’s rankings.

Mizuho Fukushima, head of the Social Democratic Party, came fifth, with ¥17.69 million, followed by Reiwa Shinsengumi leader Taro Yamamoto, with ¥12.36 million, and Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of Komeito, the LDP’s junior coalition partner, with ¥9.38 million.