Japan - June 2024

On 19 June, Japan’s parliament (Diet) approved a bill to revise the political funds control law. The law now lowers the minimum purchase amount per fundraising event for disclosing names of ticket buyers from JPY 200,001 (USD 1,300) to JPY 50,001; (USD 350) requires transparency in party fund expenditures with set limits and independent oversight by an established independent organization and imposes stricter penalties for lawmakers who incorrectly file funding reports. The new law was passed in order to restore public trust in politics and prevent a recurrence of the fundraising scandal that engulfed the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in December 2023. While considered a step in the right direction, opposition parties opposing the bill and some members of the public have raised concerns that the bill has too many “loopholes” that might limit its impact. The law, for example, does not include a ban on political donations by companies and organizations. The law comes into effect on 1 January 2026.

Sources: International IDEA, Nikkei Asia, The Japan Times