維新、１０月分の文書交通費寄付へ　「新人１日で１００万円」疑問視

　日本維新の会は１５日、各衆院議員に毎月支給される１００万円の文書通信交通滞在費（文通費）に関し、１０月分を寄付する方針を固めた。寄付先は未定。同月３１日の衆院選で初当選し議員資格を得た新人・元職が、わずか１日間の在職で同月分を満額受け取るのは国民の理解が得られないと判断した。
　文通費は議員のその月の在職日数にかかわらず、１人当たり１００万円と決まっている。同党は新人・元職から１０月分全額を「特別党費」として集める。衆院選で連続当選した２回生以上については衆院解散まで議員活動をしていたとして半額の５０万円とする。
　同党の松井一郎代表（大阪市長）は同市役所で記者団に、文通費について「使わなかったんだから、国会議員が懐に入れるのはおかしい。（寄付は）新型コロナウイルス、被災地で困っているところに届くようにしたい」と語った。（2021/11/15-20:47）

Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) plans to donate the October allowances paid to House of Representatives lawmakers to cover document, communications, transport and lodging costs, it has been learned.
   Each member of the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, is given 1 million yen in such allowances every month, regardless of the number of days in the month in which he or she is in office.
   The move by Nippon Ishin comes as the major opposition party believes that getting citizens' understanding would be difficult if lawmakers newly elected in the Oct. 31 Lower House poll and those who recaptured seats on the chamber in the election after previously losing them receive the October allowances in full although they were in office as Lower House members for only one day in the month.
   Nippon Ishin will collect the full October allowances from these Lower House members of the party as "special party fees." Party members who were re-elected in the general election will be asked to give up half of the monthly allowances, or 500,000 yen, as they had been working as lawmakers until the dissolution of the lower chamber on Oct. 14.
   "Lower House lawmakers didn't use the (October) allowances, so it is wrong for them to pocket the money," Nippon Ishin head Ichiro Matsui, also mayor of the western city of Osaka, told reporters at the Osaka city office Monday. "We want the money to reach people who are struggling due to the novel coronavirus crisis and those in disaster-hit areas," he said. The party has yet to decide where to donate the collected allowances.