Officials from the ruling bloc and the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) on Sunday urged the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) to continue talks with them in April and later to reach an agreement on the issue of political donations from companies and other organizations.
On a television program, Shinjiro Koizumi from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party called for a vote on two related bills at a meeting Monday of the Special Committee on Political Reform in the House of Representatives.
At the same time, he said, “As a way to break the deadlock, we should set up a separate forum for discussion and find common ground with participation by the CDP as well.”
Officials from Komeito, the LDP’s coalition partner, and the DPP, an opposition party, also stressed the need for interparty talks.
One of the two bills, submitted by the LDP, seeks to continue allowing donations from companies and other organizations while boosting transparency. The other bill, drawn up by the CDP and other opposition parties, demands a ban on such donations in principle.
The Lower House special committee is debating the two bills, but neither of them is likely to be passed at present.
Although the ruling and opposition sides have agreed to reach a decision by the end of March on a possible review of rules regarding such donations, meeting the deadline is now looking very difficult.
Takayuki Ochiai of the CDP said that the party will not reject cross-party talks as long as a conclusion is reached. But he also said, “Banning donations from companies and other organizations is our ultimate goal.”