While deliberating on a bill to revise the Local Autonomy Law during the last Diet session, the Democratic Party of Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party, People's Life First and Komeito suddenly added a clause that would expand the scope of research expenses provided by local governments to assembly members.
Through the revision, the name of this expense category was changed from policy affairs research expenses to political activities expenses. It will become possible for local assembly members to use the money for a wide range of activities.
So far, citizens in various parts of Japan have filed requests with local supervisory audit committees for auditing the use of policy research expenses by particular local assembly members or filed lawsuits asking for the return of used expenses to local governments. This is because some local assembly members use policy research expenses for dubious purposes.