Lawmakers' Incomes Made Public

A report has been published on Diet members' annual incomes, including replenishment of assets and remuneration from organizations or companies in which they held posts in the previous year. This mandatory disclosure of information, based on the Law on Disclosure of Lawmakers' Assets enacted in 1993, was applicable to 651 Diet members on the register throughout the year 2004, of which 471 were House of Representatives' members and 180 were House of Councilors' members.

The average annual income of Diet members stood at 23.59 million yen. This was the third consecutive year in which the average income marked a record low. The drop was reportedly attributable to the fact that no lawmakers made huge gains on land or other assets, and that annual salaries had been cut by 10 percent for three years in a row.

The average annual incomes of Diet members in the five major parties were: 25.31 million yen for the Liberal Democratic Party; 21.97 million yen for the Democratic Party of Japan; 21.68 million yen for the Social Democratic Party; 19.54 million yen for the New Komei Party; and 18.38 million yen for the Japanese Communist Party.

Among the party leaders, Prime Minister Koizumi of the LDP was the top earner with 38.17 million yen, while chairperson Shii of the Executive Committee of the JCP ranked fifth with 18.45 million yen. Overall, 92 lawmakers, 28 more than the previous year, reported that their salary as Diet members was their sole income source. The annual salary for a Diet member is set at 18.30 million yen.

Meanwhile, the incomes of members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly -- apparently big earners -- were also published around the same time. The annual income of the assembly members in the last year averaged 18.93 million yen; the top 16 earners were LDP members, followed by three DPJ members and one JCP member.

The process of administrative and financial reform in recent years has brought calls for a reduction in the total number of Diet members, and the public is now more vigilant than ever not only about lawmakers' salaries but also their privileges and concessions. An example is the  popular call for revision of the pension scheme for Diet members.

Furthermore, in late June, the Government's Tax Commission (a council of advisors to the Prime Minister) published its report on a proposed future income tax form. In its report, the Commission proposed reforms to the taxation system which could increase the tax to be borne by salaried workers, who account for 80 percent of all workers. This, together with a likely rise in the consumption tax rate in the future, promises to lead to intense dissatisfaction among hard-working salaried employees.

Setting aside the question of whether remuneration for Diet members is too high, it seems that the time has come for politicians to behave in a more transparent and honest manner.

US$=\112（July 15, 2005）