The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) announced on Jan. 17 that eight political parties have applied for government subsidies for 2018. The total amount of subsidies comes to 31.773 billion yen. The Asahi Shimbun estimates the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will receive the largest amount at 17.489 billion yen, down 0.6% from the previous year’s record amount but still the second largest amount on record.

The amount of subsidies is determined based on the number of Diet members as of Jan. 1 and the number of votes won in the latest Lower House election and the two most recent Upper House elections. The Democratic Party (DP), which split up immediately before the Lower House election last year, will get 3.569 billion yen, down 54.7% on the year. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) boasts the second largest membership among the eight political parties. But it expects to receive the fifth largest amount of subsidies because it only experienced last year’s Lower House election.

The Japanese Communist Party (JCP), which is opposed to the subsidy system, and the Party for Japanese Kokoro, which does not satisfy the necessary conditions for a political party, did not apply for the subsidies.

Actual and estimated amounts of government subsidies for political parties

(In billions of yen)

Note: In order of the number of Diet members in the party as of Jan. 1; Numbers are rounded down to the nearest million yen