A clear night sky and the promise of good weather over the long weekend usually bring a sense of calm. Yet the recent news about a proposed salary increase for Japan’s Diet members has stirred an entirely different feeling—one of puzzlement and doubt. For a political world that often speaks of reform and self-sacrifice, how should we understand this move?
The stars were beautiful last night, and it looks like we’ll have fine weather throughout this three-day weekend.
Now, I hear that members of the Diet are planning to raise their monthly salary by 50,000 yen.
What exactly is going on?
If this were being pushed only by the Liberal Democratic Party, I might understand.
But the reports say that even Ishin, their coalition partner, is in favor.
For a party that claims to champion “self-sacrifice” and political reform, approving a pay raise feels contradictory, to say the least.
People say that “politics costs money,” but that is a different issue altogether.
Isn’t this precisely what one would call a self-serving decision?
If they are going to reduce the number of Diet members by ten percent, why not simply distribute that portion among the remaining members?
Would it not be possible to set a fixed total amount of money that the national legislature is allowed to spend?
