Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s haphazard handling of a revision of the political funding law might further complicate his already precarious standing within the Liberal Democratic Party and among the public.
What appeared to have been a successful gamble on the part of Kishida — who, as party president, personally intervened to break a deadlock in negotiations — has now turned into a slipshod move that could backfire on him ahead of LDP presidential election in September.
A vote planned for Tuesday on the LDP proposal was called off in the morning due to a misunderstanding between the party and the opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai on the threshold for disclosure of the use of so-called funds for political activities — sums lawmakers currently receive from their party without any disclosure obligation.