The primary task of the ongoing ordinary Diet session is to present a credible picture of future Japan, a blueprint for the structural reforms needed to rebuild the nation. Plenary debates were held in both houses of the Diet earlier last week, followed by committee-level debates during the rest of the week.
Those debates, which came on the heels of the policy speeches delivered in the previous week by Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and three key Cabinet ministers, centered on corruption in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and in the civil service. Attention was focused on two recent scandals: the bribery case involving the KSD small-business association and the embezzlement of taxpayers' money by a Foreign Ministry bureaucrat.
Both scandals, coming on top of a long list of corruption cases, have further eroded public confidence in politics, again highlighting the pressing need for clean politics. Mr. Mori came under heavy attack from the opposition, but he skirted hard questions, creating the impression that he is not serious about cleaning house. The Diet, of course, has many important bills to process, including the budget package. With public trust reaching its nadir, however, a full inquiry into the scandals is also essential.