With the ruling and opposition parties at odds over whether to ban, restrict or continue to accept donations from businesses and industry groups, the prospect of reaching a decision by the end of the month — their deadline for an agreement — appears slim.
The Liberal Democratic Party wants to retain political donations by corporations, while five opposition parties, which include the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Nippon Ishin no Kai, want the practice to be banned outright.
Meanwhile, in an apparent effort to break the deadlock, Komeito, the LDP's junior coalition partner, and the opposition’s Democratic Party for the People (DPP) on Monday proposed a compromise — imposing tighter regulations on political funding while still allowing donations to be made.
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