LDP Still Halfway to Regaining Trust: Draft Policy Platform

Tokyo, March 26 (Jiji Press)–The Liberal Democratic Party says in the draft of its 2026 policy platform approved at a party council Thursday that the Japanese ruling party is still only halfway to regaining public trust. According to the draft platform, endorsed by the General Council, the party says that it is still on the path to restoring trust and party power, with a high-profile slush funds scandal involving LDP factions in mind. The policy platform will be formalized at an LDP convention scheduled for April 12. Referring to pledges of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, also LDP president, to promote a responsible yet proactive fiscal policy and create a strong economy, the draft says that it is the party’s mission to show the determination not through words but through action. While highlighting the party’s success in securing over two-thirds of the House of Representatives seats in last month’s general election for the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, the draft says that the LDP will work on party and government management humbly and faithfully without becoming arrogant. With unified local elections scheduled for spring 2028 and an election for the House of Councillors, the upper Diet chamber, also set to take place next year, the draft stresses that the party will thoroughly implement a hands-on stance, refine policies and further strengthen its organization. The draft expresses the LDP’s determination to realize proposed constitutional revisions, a key party goal, indicating that the party will aim to establish a council to draw up articles under the Constitution committees of both parliamentary chambers to draft an amendment to the top law and submit it to the Diet. On an envisaged revision of the Imperial House Law to secure a sufficient number of Imperial Family members, the draft says that the party will consider as its first priority a proposal that male members from the paternal line of former Imperial Family branches be adopted back into the family. Regarding political and party reform, the draft pledges to create a Reiwa era version of related guidelines from the public’s perspective. The era started in May 2019 with the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito. As to a revision of political donations from corporations and other organizations, the draft says only that the LDP will work to further boost transparency and openness, stopping short of calling for stricter restrictions or a ban on such donations as sought by opposition parties. Regarding the issue of surnames for married couples, the draft says that the party will work to legalize the standalone use of original names in certain documents, following the instructions given by Takaichi to ministers of her cabinet. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]