Your current location:HOME >entertainment >VOX POPULI: Abe faction’s ‘amended’ funds report is simply worthless 正文
TIME:2024-05-21 11:44:45 Source: Internet compilationEdit:entertainment
For the first time in ages, The Asahi Shimbun on Feb. 1 printed a table of data that ran almost the
For the first time in ages, The Asahi Shimbun on Feb. 1 printed a table of data that ran almost the full length of a page, from top to bottom.
It was a breakdown of an amended version of a political funds income and expenditure report of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Abe faction.
As a general rule, I do not believe in publicizing the trouble someone went through to make a point. But this is a special case, and I want everyone to know how hard my colleagues worked together to compile that table. They had to race against the clock to meet the deadline while poring through pages of documents to enumerate the data.
This had to be done because, in the first place, the “disclosure” made by the Abe faction was only one page long.
All it said was that the faction had failed to report a total of about 670 million yen over the last five years. There was no mention whatsoever of when, or how much, or who among the lawmakers were asked to funnel their fundraiser party revenues into the slush fund.
The words on that sheet of paper--“We apologize from the bottom of our hearts”--could not be more insincere.
Among the names listed on the table compiled by my colleagues based on the revised political funding reports submitted to the government, I noticed that of an Abe faction member who once criticized the “sloppy accounting” by researchers spending the government’s scientific research funding. I also saw the name of someone who has repeatedly preached “morality.”
And yet, the Abe faction has never really explained how it spends money, and senior faction members continue to refuse to talk to the public.
For the stated purpose of clarifying the situation, the LDP on Feb. 2 started interviewing the lawmakers concerned. Yet, the party reportedly keeps objecting every time an opposition party says “slush fund” in the Diet.
But the objection has no leg to stand on. The LDP has not disclosed the flow of political funds in 2018 and 2019, which effectively points to the existence of a slush fund.
Every political funds income and expenditure report is required to be accompanied by an affidavit that says to the effect that everything on the report is true and correct. But in the amended report, the affidavit was crossed out with an X mark.
Should the Abe faction attempt to weasel its way out, the public may well give the LDP a decisively bad rating.
After all, the pen is in the hands of the people.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 3
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Company wins court ruling to continue development of Michigan factory serving EV industry2024-05-21 11:42
The Forbidden City hosted the Tea&World2024-05-21 11:30
CPC Leadership Holds Meeting on 2024 Economic Work, Anti2024-05-21 11:22
Adorable children danced with dragons to celebrate the Spring Festival and welcome Lantern Festival2024-05-21 11:22
Messi in and Dybala out in Argentina squad for pre2024-05-21 11:15
Exhibiting a timeless elegance2024-05-21 10:14
Solving problems together2024-05-21 09:47
2023 CIFTIS was held with a spectacular Cultural and Tourism Services exhibition hall2024-05-21 09:39
Russian theater director and playwright go on trial over a play authorities say justifies terrorism2024-05-21 09:26
Comicomment: Five Eyes alliance is the largest global intelligence agency2024-05-21 08:59
Verona confirms Serie A status for another year after beating Salernitana2024-05-21 11:43
Comicomment: Five Eyes alliance is the largest global intelligence agency2024-05-21 11:38
China to join Cobra Gold 2024 military exercise in Thailand2024-05-21 11:29
Xi to Pay State Visit to Vietnam2024-05-21 11:17
Kate Hudson hits the stage to debut songs from her new album Glorious at star2024-05-21 11:04
Culture Insider: China's Ghost Festival2024-05-21 10:46
Young people from many countries experienced intangible cultural heritage projects in Kunming2024-05-21 10:41
China's homegrown C919 jetliner flies to Singapore for airshow2024-05-21 10:22
The government wants to buy their flood2024-05-21 10:09
Hong Kong greets 1.3 mln visits during Spring Festival holiday2024-05-21 09:48