TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio said Thursday that his ruling Liberal Democratic Party will set up a political reform task force next week, following a high-profile political funds scandal involving LDP factions.
At his New Year’s press conference on the day, Kishida, president of the LDP, said that the task force will report directly to him.
Kishida said that the task force will compile an interim report on political reform by the end of this month, and that the party will submit a related bill to the Diet, Japan’s parliament, if necessary.
“Restoring public trust in politics is the top priority,” he stressed.
Kishida suggested that the party could audit its factions’ fundraising parties and require them to use bank transfers, instead of cash, to make payments.
Meanwhile, the prime minister vowed to create “without fail” a situation in which national income growth exceeds price increases this summer by combining wage hikes and income tax cuts.
Kishida also said that he will make “maximum efforts” to revise the country’s Constitution while he is LDP president, expressing his eagerness to accelerate cross-party discussions on the issue.
JIJI Press