Japan's Main Opposition Party to Unilaterally Submit No-Confidence Motion Against Kishida Cabinet on the 20th

"Insufficient Response to Political Reform, Loss of Public Trust"

Japan's main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, has decided to unilaterally submit a no-confidence motion against the Kishida Fumio Cabinet.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida [Photo by AP News]

According to the Asahi Shimbun on the 19th, the Constitutional Democratic Party stated that "the Kishida Cabinet has inadequately addressed political reform and has lost the trust of the people," and announced that it will submit the no-confidence motion to the House of Representatives on the morning of the 20th.

Party leader Izumi Genta explained the reason for submitting the no-confidence motion against the Cabinet, saying, "It was revealed during the party leader debate that Prime Minister Kishida does not recognize the insufficiency of the revised Political Funds Control Act."

Even if the opposition party submits a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet, it is highly likely to be rejected due to the majority opposition from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and others. The Liberal Democratic Party plans to reject the no-confidence motion if it is submitted. Nobuyuki Baba, leader of another opposition party, Nippon Ishin no Kai, also raised issues with the Political Funds Control Act during the debate and urged Prime Minister Kishida to have the Cabinet resign en masse and to replace the Prime Minister.

Nippon Ishin no Kai, after clashing with the Liberal Democratic Party over reforms to the investigative research and publicity expenses, which provide members of the Diet with 1 million yen (approximately 8.7 million won) monthly, submitted a censure motion against Prime Minister Kishida to the House of Councillors the previous day.

The revised Political Funds Control Act includes provisions such as lowering the disclosure threshold for purchasers of party tickets sold at political fundraising events called "parties," but it does not include the abolition of policy activity expenses or the ban on corporate and organizational donations, as advocated by the Constitutional Democratic Party.