- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,056
- 18,910
Some things never change. Kishida did it, Ichiba did it, and Takaichi does it, too. And everyone before them:
PM Takaichi said on 25 February that catalogue gifts distributed to Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers after the recent Lower House election totalled about 10 million yen ($64,400), defending the practice as legal. Speaking during a plenary session of the Upper House, she described the distribution as a donation from a political party branch to individual lawmakers and said it posed no legal problem.
The gifts were sent to LDP-affiliated Lower House members who won seats in the 8 February election, which she characterised as highly competitive. She said the items were meant as a gesture of appreciation and expressed hope they would assist lawmakers in their future activities. According to Takaichi, each recipient could select goods worth roughly 30,000 yen, including system charges, shipping costs and consumption tax. A total of 315 lawmakers received the catalogues. She said the gifts were funded by the LDP's Nara Prefecture No. 2 electoral district branch, which she heads, and paid for from the branch's political funds. Takaichi did not detail the original funding source during the Diet session. In a post on X late on 24 February, she said no government subsidies for political parties were used.
I'm relieved, it's not a legal issue. Who gives an damn about graft or morals?
PM Takaichi said on 25 February that catalogue gifts distributed to Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers after the recent Lower House election totalled about 10 million yen ($64,400), defending the practice as legal. Speaking during a plenary session of the Upper House, she described the distribution as a donation from a political party branch to individual lawmakers and said it posed no legal problem.
The gifts were sent to LDP-affiliated Lower House members who won seats in the 8 February election, which she characterised as highly competitive. She said the items were meant as a gesture of appreciation and expressed hope they would assist lawmakers in their future activities. According to Takaichi, each recipient could select goods worth roughly 30,000 yen, including system charges, shipping costs and consumption tax. A total of 315 lawmakers received the catalogues. She said the gifts were funded by the LDP's Nara Prefecture No. 2 electoral district branch, which she heads, and paid for from the branch's political funds. Takaichi did not detail the original funding source during the Diet session. In a post on X late on 24 February, she said no government subsidies for political parties were used.
I'm relieved, it's not a legal issue. Who gives an damn about graft or morals?
