Japan Diet OKs Political Reform Bills

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)--The Diet, Japan's parliament, enacted on Tuesday political reform bills to establish a third-party organ monitoring political funds and abolish the so-called policy activity expenses that do not require recipient lawmakers to disclose how they used the money.

The three bills were approved at a plenary meeting of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, by a majority vote with support from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, as well as from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) and the Democratic Party for the People in the opposition camp.

The bills passed the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, on Dec. 17.

"It's important that we take even just a step forward, even if it isn't 100 pct (progress)," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said of political reform at a press conference. "As LDP president, I think we've managed to achieve the reform measures I said we'll do."

After the enactment of the bills, the 27-day extraordinary Diet session came to a close. It opened on Nov. 28 for a 24-day run, but it was extended for three days to secure enough time to enact the three bills, a key issue in the session following the LDP's slush funds scandal.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]