Despite widespread condemnation of political fundraising parties and calls to abolish them, eliminating them has proved difficult.
To succeed in Japanese politics, it’s long been said that a politician must have and maintain three things: a strong local voter base, strong personal connections in a wide variety of places and a fat purse. In deciding on party membership, a party’s stance on specific issues often matters less than whether or not a politician believes joining a particular party is the best way to ensure the money is available to maintain the local voter base and deepen the personal connections needed for reelection.
So where does that money come from?