Parties disagree on corporate donations ahead of deadline

The ruling and opposition parties in Japan are struggling to agree on corporate donations. There is a deadline by the end of the month to come to a decision, but chances look slim. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) wants to keep corporate donations. In contrast, five opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai, are pushing for a complete ban on these donations. To try to find a solution, Komeito, the LDP's junior coalition partner, and the opposition’s Democratic Party for the People (DPP) suggested a compromise. They proposed stricter rules for political funding while still allowing donations to continue. However, it remains to be seen if this proposal will satisfy both sides.