[General Incorporated Association Concept Japan] Toward a real solution to politics and money issues! Recommendations from “Concept Japan”
*View in browser* *General Incorporated Association Concept Japan*
Press release: May 13, 2024
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Toward a real solution to politics and money issues! Recommendations from “Concept Japan”
*-Now is the time to establish political party governance
(self-governance ability)-*
Institute
Initiative Japan (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo/Representative: Hideki Kato) believes that establishing the governance (self-governance ability) of political parties is essential to solving political and money issues, and has proposed the enactment of the “Political Political Parties Law.” Masu.
* Establishment of the “Political Political Parties Law” to celebrate 100 years of “universal suffrage” *
*Purpose of the proposal*
● The core of the issue between politics and money is to expose all money flowing into and out of political parties, politicians, and political organizations, and rigorously audit how it is used. It is to do. To this end, simply amending the Political Funds Control Act will not reach the core of the issue. * It is essential to establish the governance (self-governance capacity) of political parties.*
●
Next year marks 100 years since universal suffrage was implemented in 1925. Corporate governance is strictly questioned for ordinary companies, but the governance of political parties is left to the political parties, and the difference is clear. At least establish governance for political parties on the same level as companies and public interest corporations*
We recommend* the enactment of a “political party law.”
* Recommendations for establishing political party governance (outline) *
* ■Comprehensive understanding of political funding and thorough information disclosure*
* Due to the revision of the Political Funds Control Law*
1. Unify the organizations that manage politicians’ funds.
2. Require regular publication of political party activities, income and expenditure (P/L), assets, etc. (B/S)
3. Require external audits that go into details of usage
4. In order to ensure fairness between “hereditary” and
“non-hereditary” funds, inheritance of fund management organizations is prohibited (when the representative of the organization = candidate changes, the balance will be donated to the affiliated political party)
* ■Clarification of authority and responsibility for political party management* * Due to the enactment of the “Political Political Parties Law”* 1. Clarify the authority, responsibility, and term of office of party organs (main organs, executives, etc.)
2. Clarify the decision-making process within the party regarding policies, officer selection, etc.
3. Clarify the relationship between the party, parliamentarians, and party members
4. Obligation to establish rules for managing political parties, such as party rules, based on law.
5. Clarify the relationship between party headquarters and branches, and their respective authorities and responsibilities.
(Limit the number of political party branches to one per
administrative unit, and prohibit members of the Diet from
concurrently serving as branch chief.)
6. Prescribe rules regarding party establishment, dissolution, merger, etc. and handling of assets.
*I. Complete understanding of political funding and thorough information disclosure – Political funding*
(1) In order to solve the problem of politics and money, it is ineffective to limit individual funding routes and amounts, such as corporate donations. This is because funds can be freely transferred between individual members, political groups, and political parties (including branches).
According to documents from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (see Figure 1), donations from corporations are prohibited to politicians and “other political organizations,” but political parties (including branches) can make donations. And since political parties (including branches) can donate to politicians and “other political organizations” (excluding political parties), this is a complete loophole (see Figure 2).
It is necessary to prohibit politicians from having many wallets and freely moving money between them. In other words*
Fund management organizations must be limited to one. *
(2) The income and expenditure reports currently published by each political party only show the flow of funds, not the stock. For example, because ordinary deposits and current accounts are not included in assets, it is not possible to grasp the full picture because it is not possible to tell how much “usable money” a political organization has from the carryover funds on the income and
expenditure report. *
Like companies and public interest corporations, they should be required to prepare and publish a balance sheet (B/S). * NPOs are also required to prepare a B/S.
On top of that,* it is necessary to expand external audits from external and routine audits to ones that go into the usage*
. In the private sector, there is no such thing as an “audit” that does not check the use of funds.
Figure 1: “Summary of quantitative restrictions on donations” (Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Home Affairs Bureau, Election Department, Political Funds Division, “Summary of the Political Funds Regulation Act”)
Figure 2: Created by Concept Japan based on Figure 1 (descriptions such as monetary limits were removed from Figure 1, leaving only the “prohibited” part)
* II. Clarifying authority and responsibility for political party management – Governance of political parties*
In order to make I work and eliminate loopholes, it is necessary to clearly stipulate the following as a prerequisite.
・Responsibility and authority of political party organs and officers ・Relationships between legislators, political organizations, and branches, and responsibility for managing funds
・Relationship between political party headquarters and branches In the case of a company, considering its public interest
(particularly for listed companies), what organizations should be established (general meeting of shareholders, directors, board of directors, representative directors, auditors, etc.), the significance of each organization, methods of appointment/dismissal, authority, and convening. The company law stipulates the methods and resolution methods.
However, even though political parties use more than 30 billion yen in taxes (subsidy to political parties) and nearly 100 billion yen in non-taxable income every year, and have the highest level of public service in the management of the state, there are no laws governing organizational management. This is left to the party rules of each political party. *
To establish the governance of political parties, it is essential to enact the principles of operating rules. *
*III. This is an opportunity to raise the level of politics – through private sector efforts*
Political deterioration always brings about the subsidence of the country. At a time when the entire political world is in turmoil stemming from politics and money, this is not a spurious reform, but an excellent opportunity to improve the ability of political parties to manage the country through the establishment of governance.
But lawmakers don’t impose strict rules on themselves. * In
establishing political party governance, lobbying from the private sector holds the key to success or failure.*
If we take advantage of this opportunity, it could be the first step in raising Japan’s politics to a level comparable to the world’s major countries.
*Japan National Press Club/Press Conference*
“Questioning Politics and Money” Series 8th Hideki Kato, Japan Representative for Concept
■Date and time: May 13th (Monday) 13:30-15:00
■Venue: Japan National Press Club 10th floor hall
For more information, please visit the Concept Japan website https://kosonippon.org/topics/20240502/
Those who are not members of the Japan National Press Club (Public Incorporated Foundation) can only participate via the web.
*Contact information*
Concept Japan General Incorporated Association
[Person in charge] Tanaka/Ishizuka
[TEL] 03-5275-5607
[FAX] 03-5275-5617
[Email] * info@kosonippon.org *
General Incorporated Association Concept Japan
Vision Japan, a general incorporated association, is a policy think tank that “makes things happen.”
With the keyword “Make it your own,” we engage in a wide range of activities that bring politics and government closer to you. ・Location: 3F Espalier Hirakawacho, 2-9-2 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo ・Representative: Hideki Kato
・Project content: Policy implementation, personalization meetings, administrative business database, information dissemination/philosophy dissemination activities
・URL: http://www.kosonippon.org
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