A Social Democratic Party proposal to study measures to restrict activities of politicians who have earlier been convicted of corruption received approval Sept. 30 from a decision-making body of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Measures to be discussed include restrictions on giving such politicians governmental positions as well as on their candidacy in public elections, LDP officials said. Concrete steps will be drawn up during the current extraordinary Diet session.
However, LDP Secretary General Koichi Kato said a legal ban on such activities of convicted politicians will be difficult, suggesting that the restrictions may take the form of internal rules for each political party. The LDP's executive council also agreed to start discussing during the current session whether to move up a ban on political contributions from corporations and organizations.