The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its two smaller allies said Sept. 22 they will examine their funds and political ethics to salvage the public's trust in the wake of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's ill-fated appointment of convicted bribe-taker Koko Sato to his new Cabinet.
The meeting will be top level, with the heads and secretary generals of the LDP, the Social Democratic Party and New Party Sakigake discussing broader issues, including the reform of money politics. The discussions were proposed by the heads of both the SDP and Sakigake when they met Hashimoto following his acceptance of Sato's resignation.
"I urged Hashimoto to quickly tackle these fundamental issues among the ruling alliance," Takako Doi, head of the SDP, told a news conference after meeting Hashimoto. The SDP is strongly demanding a ban be placed on political donations from individuals and organizations.
Doi indicated her party may end its alliance with the LDP, depending on the discussions. The SDP is demanding that a basic framework on those issues be mapped out before an extraordinary Diet session scheduled to be held Sept. 29.