Japan Press Weekly

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2026 February 25 - March 3 [POLITICS]

PM Takaichi’s gift distribution sheds light on LDP’s money-driven culture remaining unchanged

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

It has come to light that Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae distributed gifts worth about 30,000 yen each to all 315 Liberal Democratic Party members of the House of Representatives who won seats in the February 8 general election. She has nominated slush-fund tainted LDP lawmakers to key party posts. The LDP’s inclination to maintain the present form of “money politics” remains unchanged.

In March 2025, it emerged that then Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru gave 100,000 yen’s worth of gift certificates to 15 LDP Lower House members who were first elected in the 2024 general election. Facing fierce public criticism, Ishiba offered apologies in the Diet.

PM Takaichi despite doing the same thing as Ishiba showed no sign of remorse and defended her act by saying that it “poses no problem under the law”.

In addition, PM Takaichi in the extraordinary Diet session last year was grilled about the issue in which the Takaichi-headed LDP branch accepted political donations exceeding the legal upper limit set under the Political Funds Control Act.

The Takaichi government stands out for its stance of disregarding the issue of “politics and money”.

This issue remains a key focus in the current special session of the Diet. PM Takaichi in her policy speech expressed her determination to “restore more trust in politics”. However, if she fails to demonstrate her commitment to addressing the issue of “politics and money”, public distrust will only continue to grow.

Three years have passed since the LDP’s slush-fund allegations were revealed. Nevertheless, no adequate preventive measures have been taken. The imposition of a ban on corporate and organizational donations, the root cause of corruption and bribery-driven politics, must not be delayed any longer.