A party that has shrunk to a single lawmaker is set to collect about ¥2.9bn in state party subsidies this year, and its former leader says any money left over will be paid back to the national treasury.
Chudo Reform Alliance, formed in mid-January by Lower House members from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, was routed in the general election held on Feb 8. Talks on a three-way merger with the two parties collapsed at the end of August. On Sept 9 the party decided to disband through a split, with members from the CDP side and the Komeito side leaving.
The CDP group formed the Democratic Reform Association. The Komeito group returned to its old party. Chudo kept one Lower House member, Hajime Watanabe, in place and stayed registered, citing unfinished administrative work.
The party received about ¥580m in subsidies on Oct 20, drawing criticism from voters, including the label "blood-tax thief." It is due to receive another ¥580m in December. If the party is still registered next year, simple arithmetic puts the total at about ¥1.7bn more.
Ogawa: payments were split into installments
Junya Ogawa, 55, Chudo's former leader and now head of the Democratic Reform Association, answered questions from Shukan Bunshun. He said he accepts the criticism and apologized for the confusion.
Chudo originally had 49 lawmakers, 21 from the CDP side and 28 from the Komeito side, Ogawa said. Its subsidy for this year was fixed at ¥2.3bn in April. The money is paid in four installments of ¥580m each, in April, July, October and December.
More than half of the election expenses were still unpaid as of September, according to Ogawa. Contractors agreed to wait until December, he said.
“We are in a situation where we have been allowed to pay in installments.”Junya Ogawa, head of the Democratic Reform Association
Departing lawmakers got nothing, Ogawa says
Ogawa said the 48 lawmakers who left, 20 from the CDP side and 28 from the Komeito side, have received no subsidy money at all. He said he paid his own way to an international conference he attended in April.
He said he has been told that more than ¥2bn of the ¥2.3bn will go to paying contractors, which he described as almost the full amount. Asked about a possible surplus, he said it will not be clear until the December payment is made.
“If even a little is left, I think it should be returned.”Junya Ogawa
Asked whether that meant returning the money to the national treasury, Ogawa said yes. He added that there may not be much left, but that he still wants to return it.
The full interview, which ran for nearly an hour, also covers whether money will be distributed to unsuccessful candidates still registered with Chudo and how a small group of lawmakers will take on the large governing party. Shukan Bunshun published it in its electronic edition.