During the last Diet session, the tripartite alliance of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and New Komeito voted a host of key bills into law on the back of their numerical strength. But not all major bills were cleared. Among them is a measure to ban corporate donations to politicians.
Banning such donations is long overdue. The measure in question would have put the ban into effect next January. The failure to take action represents a breach of promise on the part of the Diet, which in 1995 passed a law calling for the abolition of corporate donations to individual politicians five years hence. The legislature must make good on its promise if it is to restore public trust in national politics.
The LDP is primarily responsible for this inaction. It has shown little enthusiasm to prohibit politicians from accepting funds from private corporations. Instead, it has sought ways of keeping open this questionable route to campaign funding. Indeed, the party is moving against the tide of history.