New Democratic Party Member Exposes Shocking Use of Old Communication Expenses

Use of the “Second Wallet”

In the extraordinary Diet session last year, a legal revision was made that requires the disclosure of the use of the research and publicity travel expenses (formerly known as the communication expenses) and the return of any remaining balance starting from August this year, placing pressure on the offices of each Diet member to comply.

The old communication expenses were paid separately from salary, amounting to 1 million yen per month, and there was no requirement for disclosure or return of the remaining balance. It was often referred to as the second wallet for Diet members. The recent memory of a new Diet member who was elected in the October 31, 2021, Lower House election and received the full 1 million yen for the month of October after just one day in office sparked criticism.

The Japan Innovation Party proposed in the Diet that the use of these expenses and the return of the remaining balance should be mandatory. Under public pressure, the Liberal Democratic Party also decided to revise the law during the extraordinary Diet session.

“This will apply from the August payment this year, but details regarding the receipt disclosure criteria and methods are still to be discussed in the current ordinary Diet session, so the specifics remain undecided. Mr. Noda has already taken the lead and started publishing the details of expenses and receipts on his website since last October, and we are using that as a reference,” said a veteran secretary of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

“Mr. Noda” refers to Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (67). He disclosed the expenses for October and November of last year, including the salaries of his private secretaries, car lease costs, and newspaper fees. It was also noted that he purchased the Kindle edition of Shigeru Ishiba’s book Conservative Politicians: My Policy, My Destiny on October 8, the day before the dissolution of the Lower House, and listed the purchase of a stopwatch (3,180 yen) as an expense.

The Japan Innovation Party and the Democratic Party for the People have voluntarily disclosed the use of the old communication expenses and receipts by their members. The Liberal Democratic Party, initially reluctant to disclose such information, was pressured by the spotlight on political funds raised through the former Abe faction’s political fundraising parties, as well as criticism of the old communication expenses being used as a slush fund, leading them to agree.

“Expenses that were difficult to disclose, or expenses for which receipts could not be obtained, were often covered by the old communication expenses,” stated a former LDP minister, prefacing the comment before continuing.