The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been busy setting up new chapters across the country. If the move was aimed at expanding party activities to put politicians, not bureaucrats, in the driver's seat, or to improve its local programs in tandem with devolution, it would be fine. But the new chapters are designed to effectively serve as conduits for raising campaign funds.
Local legislators find it impossible to receive donations from private corporations and interest groups because the legal prohibition of such donations to individual politicians came into effect in January. The new chapters are being created to get around this prohibition so that individual legislators can continue to take contributions from corporate supporters. But expanding the chapter network for this purpose runs counter to campaign reform. Ways should be found to plug the loopholes.
The ban on group donations to individual politicians is based on a proviso in the revised Political Fund Control Law that went into force in January 1995. That clause, which was the product of political compromise, said such donations would be prohibited in five years.