Ruling parties find agreement on political reform, but gaps remain

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito reached a rough agreement Thursday on a proposal for revising the political funds control law to boost transparency over the handling of political funding.

However, the plan lacks specifics on key contentious issues, in a signal that the two parties prioritized complying with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s instructions to compile a joint proposal by the end of the week.

After days of negotiations to hammer out differences, the two parties agreed to tighten the use of so-called funds for political activities — amounts lawmakers receive from their party without any obligation to disclose details about their usage — and strengthen responsibility for politicians involved in wrongdoing.