A proposed law prohibiting politicians from accepting money or goods in exchange for influencing government officials on behalf of private citizens or businesses will also be applied to Diet members' official secretaries and local assembly members, political sources said Saturday.
The original proposal called for the law to apply to Diet members only.
The ruling coalition -- the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party -- agreed on the inclusion after New Komeito backed down from their earlier view that local assembly members should be exempt from the law, the sources said.