通常国会が閉幕　裏金焦点、与党延長応ぜず

　自民党派閥の裏金事件を受けて「政治とカネ」の問題が最大の焦点となった第２１３通常国会は２３日、１５０日間の会期を終えた。事件の再発防止に向けた改正政治資金規正法は与党などの賛成多数で成立。野党からは会期内の調査研究広報滞在費（旧文書通信交通滞在費）改革を求めて延長を求める声が上がったが、与党は応じなかった。
　改正規正法は(1)政治資金収支報告書への不記載・虚偽記入に対する国会議員の責任厳格化(2)パーティー券購入者の公開基準額引き下げ(3)政策活動費を監査する第三者機関の設置検討―が柱。通常国会ではこれに加え、２０２４年度予算、「セキュリティー・クリアランス（適性評価）」制度を創設する新法、少子化対策の財源を確保するための改正子ども・子育て支援法、自治体に対する国の指示権を拡大する改正地方自治法などが成立した。
　９月までの憲法改正を掲げた岸田文雄首相（自民総裁）の下、自民は会期内の改憲発議を目指した。しかし、立憲民主党などが慎重姿勢を崩さなかったため、緊急事態条項案の「骨格」を衆院憲法審査会で提示するにとどまった。（2024/06/24-00:05）

The Diet, Japan's parliament, wrapped up this year's 150-day ordinary session without an extension on Sunday, after debates centered on the issue of politics and money in the wake of a political funds scandal involving factions at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
   An LDP-sponsored bill to revise the political funds control law, aimed at preventing a repeat of the money scandal, was enacted Wednesday by a majority vote. While some in the opposition camp sought an extension of the Diet session to reform the so-called research, public relations and accommodation allowances for lawmakers, the ruling camp refused the request.
   Under the revised law, lawmakers will be held responsible more strictly for failing to record some funds or falsifying statements in their political funds reports, the threshold for the disclosure of information on those who bought political fundraising party tickets will be lowered and a third-party organization will be established to check how lawmakers use the so-called policy activity funds they receive from their parties.
   Also enacted during the latest Diet session were the fiscal 2024 government budget, a bill to introduce a security clearance system for individuals who are allowed to handle important information related to economic security, a bill aimed at bolstering measures to tackle the country's declining birthrate and a bill to give the central government power to issue necessary instructions to local governments in the event of emergencies such as disasters and pandemics.
   Reflecting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's eagerness to achieve constitutional revision before his term as LDP president ends in September, the party aimed to propose the amendment during the ordinary Diet session. As the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and others remained cautious, however, the party only went as far as presenting at the Commission on the Constitution of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, an outline of a constitutional clause that would allow the Diet to extend the terms of its members in the event of an emergency such as a large-scale disaster.