Japanese lawmakers accuse ruling party of pushing budget bill through without debate

• Japanese opposition lawmakers filed a no-confidence motion accusing the ruling party of rushing a budget bill without proper debate due to disruption caused by a fundraising scandal.
• The opposition criticized Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for failing to reveal details about slush funds created by the ruling party's main faction.
• Kishida's government has seen dwindling support since the scandal emerged, resulting in the dismissal of several cabinet ministers and party executives.

Angry Japanese opposition lawmakers filed a no-confidence motion on Friday, accusing the ruling party of trying to push through a budget bill without proper debate because of disruption caused by a scandal over its fundraising practices.

Opposition politicians criticized Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for failing to provide details about slush funds created by members of the main faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or where the money went. Kishida apologized Thursday for the scandal that rocked his government in a rare appearance before the parliamentary ethics committee that was broadcast live.

Kishida, who also proposed reforms to the Political Funds Control Law, apparently attended the session in an effort to end debate over the scandal and ensure quick passage of a $744 billion budget proposal that has been repeatedly stalled.

JAPAN GOVERNMENT URGES ACT AS COUNTRY SEES LOWEST NUMBER OF BIRTHS SINCE 1899

Opposition lawmakers were outraged Friday when budget committee chairman Itsunori Onodera, a member of the ruling party, scheduled a vote later in the day on the budget bill. They presented the motion of no confidence against Onodera, accusing him of trying to push through the bill without sufficient debate on the budget. The no-confidence motion was rejected due to the ruling party's majority in Parliament.

Kishida has struggled with falling support ratings since the corruption scandal emerged. He has removed several cabinet ministers and others from party executive positions, but support ratings for his government have fallen to around 20%.

The scandal centers on undeclared political funds raised through the sale of tickets to party events. This led to 10 people (lawmakers and their aides) being charged in January.

More than 80 ruling party lawmakers, most of them from a major faction of the party previously led by slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have acknowledged failing to declare funds in a possible violation of the Political Funds Control Law. Money received from this long-standing practice allegedly went into uncontrolled slush funds.

Earlier Friday, two prominent members of the Abe faction – former Trade and Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno – appeared before the ethics committee and denied having personally managed the slush funds.

JAPAN BECOMES THE FIFTH COUNTRY TO REACH THE MOON AFTER ITS SPACESHIP LANDED ON THE MOON SURFACE

Nishimura and Matsuno said Abe proposed ending the practice in 2022, citing a lack of transparency and the risk of generating public distrust. They said the practice somehow resumed after Abe's death, but they didn't know why.

Matsuno accepted about $66,500 in unreported funds from the faction over the past five years, which he has since reported. He has acknowledged that his assistants accepted the cash and kept it in a safe in his office. He said the money was only spent on political activities.

Deliberations on the no-confidence motion delayed Friday afternoon's ethics hearing, where two more lawmakers from the Abe faction were scheduled to appear.

The government ethics committee, controlled by the ruling party, is tasked with determining whether lawmakers violated political ethics and should be held accountable, but critics say it is largely for show and expect little serious investigation.