Does Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba have any intention of resolving the public's distrust over "money in politics"? His responses during the House of Representatives Budget Committee provide no such indication.

When it comes to political funds, the primary focus of the current Diet session is corporate and organizational donations. Last year, the revised Political Funds Control Act, which abolishes policy activity expenses, was enacted during an extraordinary Diet session, but the donations issue remains unresolved.

The nation's largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), and other parties have submitted a bill to ban donations from corporations and organizations outright. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), on the other hand, has proposed a weaker measure requiring the disclosure of companies and organizations that donate more than 10 million yen (approx. $64,400) annually, along with the amounts. While the LDP claims this will enhance transparency, it merely compiles already available data and fails to address concerns that such donations could distort policymaking.

In the Budget Committee, the prime minister defended his stance, arguing, "Politics should not rely solely on public funds." He argued that companies have the right to make political donations, maintaining his stance that there is no need for a ban. This position contrasts sharply with the ruling-opposition party consensus of the past.

During the "political reforms of the Heisei era (1989 - 2019)," political party subsidies were introduced, with an agreement to revisit the issue of party donations after five years. At the time, former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa and former LDP President Yohei Kono, who were involved in the enactment of political reform-related laws, stated their ultimate goal was a complete ban on such donations.

The LDP's faction slush fund scandal is also far from being resolved. With support from opposition parties, including the CDP, the Budget Committee passed a motion to summon the former secretary-general of the now-defunct Abe faction, who was in a position to know the details of the scandal from behind the scenes. However, he has expressed his intention not to attend.

The former secretary-general, convicted for his role in the scandal, testified in court that lawmakers received kickbacks from ticket sales for faction fundraising parties. He stated, "After it was once decided to stop them, senior lawmakers demanded they be revived, and so they were." Former executives of the Abe faction -- named for late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe -- need to explain themselves in the Diet.

The prime minister's reluctance to act on both the donation issue and the slush fund scandal is striking. To regain public trust, he must demonstrate leadership.