Intensive deliberations were held in the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan repeatedly called for a public meeting of the Political Ethics Review Committee in response to the issue surrounding the political funding party of a faction of the Liberal Democratic Party.
In response, Prime Minister Kishida said, ``I hope that the best method will be taken from the perspective of ensuring accountability.''
Liberal Democratic Party former finance minister Ito on wage increases for small and medium-sized enterprises
Regarding wage increases for small and medium-sized enterprises, former Minister of Finance Ito of the Liberal Democratic Party said, ``We need to take steps to overcome the old mindset and custom that subcontractors should make efforts to cut costs.'' We should consider amending the subcontracting law to show that we are a partner that supports the economy."
In response, Prime Minister Kishida said, ``I see this as an awareness of the problem with the basic philosophy of the Subcontract Act, which refers to protected contractors as subcontractors.The government also considers the actual state of trade practices and price pass-through. We will conduct a wide range of discussions, including whether or not legal amendments are necessary, while also examining the situation."
Komei's Hiromasa Nakano's political funding "linkage system" issue
Hiromasa Nakano of the New Komeito Party commented on the ``association system,'' which holds Diet members responsible if there are false entries in income and expenditure reports, ``Strengthening penalties is necessary as a deterrent to fraud.Politicians are responsible for accounting.'' ``Isn't it necessary to amend the law to make it punishable by a fine if a person fails to take due care in the selection and supervision of a person?''
In response, Prime Minister Kishida said, ``The New Komeito proposal aims to establish a stricter liability system based on the premise that whether or not a member is negligent will be determined individually. It will be helpful in that it will be possible.The Liberal Democratic Party will compile a concrete plan and discuss it with each party and faction with the aim of amending the law in the current Diet session.''
In response to a request to consider establishing a third-party organization to supervise political funds, Prime Minister Kishida responded, ``This is an issue that also relates to freedom of political activity, so we are not sure what kind of authority it will have and whether it will be independent.'' It will be necessary to discuss how much of this should be held and how to secure it."
Ritsumeikan member Takashi Joi's political ethics committee is being held
Takashi Joi of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan commented on the holding of the Political Ethics Review Committee, saying, ``It is a betrayal of the people to oppose full disclosure even though you say you want to fulfill your accountability to the people.As president of the Liberal Democratic Party, I would like you to order full disclosure.'' I approached.
In response, Prime Minister Kishida said, ``I hope that the best method will be taken from the standpoint of accountability.In any case, it is the party's basic policy to encourage efforts to explain in every situation.'' ” he said.
Former Prime Minister Noda of Ritsumeikan: ``Give tax instructions to ``slush fund members''''
Former Prime Minister Noda of the Constitutional Democratic Party commented on the income that was not recorded in the political funds balance report, saying, ``There is a parade of corrections with unknown uses.I don't think anyone would go to the trouble of going to the tax office to make an amended tax return. "The government should instruct them to file amended tax returns for the past five years and fulfill their tax obligations."
In response, Prime Minister Kishida said, ``The tax implications differ depending on whether political funds belong to an individual politician or to a related political group.At least, the party does not have concrete knowledge of cases in which individual members have received funds.'' However, how we think about taxation is an issue that should be dealt with in accordance with the law."
Furthermore, Finance Minister Suzuki said, ``If the tax belongs to an individual member of the Diet, he or she must deduct what was used for political activities and if there is any surplus, he or she must file a tax return and pay tax.In the sense of fulfilling his political responsibility, he is personally responsible for tax matters. I would like them to confirm the matter and clear their doubts by making decisions in accordance with laws and regulations."
Prime Minister Kishida: ``I feel like there's a lot of scrutiny on social media for boycotting tax returns.''
Meanwhile, regarding the impact on tax returns, Prime Minister Kishida said, ``As tax payment season approaches, I feel a strong sense of crisis and sincerely apologize for causing strong concern and distrust among the public. I am aware that there are many posts with the hashtag 'boycott,' and once again I strongly feel the public's scrutiny."
Meiji Restoration Mr. Hitoshi Aoyagi on the "support subsidy system" to counter the declining birthrate
Hitoshi Aoyagi of the Nippon Ishin no Kai commented on the ``support subsidy system'' to counter the declining birthrate, ``The government says that there is no real burden because the national contribution rate for social security does not increase, but it pays monthly. Isn't the increase in insurance premiums a ``real burden'' on the people?'' he asked.
In response, Prime Minister Kishida said, ``Since we will create support funds within the scope of reducing the burden of social insurance through expenditure reform, it is not appropriate for monthly payments to increase when considering the burden on each individual. There will be some unevenness depending on the type of insurance, but overall the national burden rate will not increase.''
On the other hand, Minister of State for Children's Policy Kato Kato said that the total amount of benefits that each child can receive from birth to age 18 through projects that use "support funds" such as expanding child allowances and introducing a "universal child attendance system" predicted an average increase of approximately 1.46 million yen.
(Reply to Komei and Mr. Nakano)
Communist Party leader Masakata Akamine tours the relocation of the U.S. military base Futenma to Henoko
Regarding the relocation of the U.S. military base Futenma to Henoko, Nago City, Communist Party leader Masakata Akamine said, ``The government has expanded the procurement sites for landfill soil to various parts of Okinawa Prefecture, but the main island of Okinawa accounts for 70% of the amount that can be procured within the prefecture. The southern part was the site of the last fierce battle of the Battle of Okinawa, and the remains of those who died in the war are still being discovered.We should be instructed to stop using earth and sand in this area.''
In response, Prime Minister Kishida said, ``There are multiple candidate locations for procurement within and outside the prefecture, and they have not been finalized at this time. ``The Ministry of Defense will make appropriate decisions regarding procurement sources.''
Citizen Tetsu Asano over political funding party
Regarding political funding parties, Tetsu Asano of the Democratic Party of Japan said, ``The income of parties is not subject to tax because there is no type of profit-making business that falls under the Enforcement Order of the Corporation Tax Law. Shouldn't it be amended?" he said.
In response, Prime Minister Kishida said, ``What kind of impact will it have if we tax similar projects conducted by other public interest corporations? Decisions should be made after discussing issues such as whether or not there are any issues."
Prime Minister Kishida regarding export of defense equipment to third countries
Furthermore, regarding the export of defense equipment jointly developed with other countries, such as the next generation of fighter jets, to third countries, Prime Minister Kishida stated, ``The larger the scale of international joint production, the lower the procurement price. In addition to procuring finished products, it is extremely important to promote relocation to third countries.We recognize that this is also in Japan's national interest."
(Response to Meishin/Mr. Aoyagi)