Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Following revelations that Japanese Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru handed out gift vouchers to rookie lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the approval rating for his Cabinet dived to 27.6 percent, the lowest since he took office in October, a Kyodo News survey showed.

The poll found that 71.6 percent of respondents opposed Ishiba’s decision to hand out coupons worth 100,000 yen ($670) to lawmakers from his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Ishiba was supposedly a “clean pair of hands,” following the scandal that engulfed his predecessor, KISHIDA Fumio. The LDP, which has been in power for most of the period since 1955, has long been associated with political funding scandals.

Support for the Cabinet stood at 39.6 percent last month. In March, the disapproval rating for Ishiba’s Cabinet jumped by 16.0 points to 57.8 percent, casting doubt on his leadership in steering an already faltering government.

The two-day survey was carried out after Ishiba admitted that his office had provided gift certificates, but claimed the practice did not pose legal problems, prompting some LDP members to disclose that previous prime ministers had engaged in similar conduct. Kishida also offered gift vouchers to lawmakers.

Many people have been disappointed with LDP’s failure to responsibly manage political funds, with the poll showing 78.5 percent felt problems related to “politics and money” will not be resolved under the LDP-led government.

Throughout 2024, the LDP came under intense scrutiny amid allegations that some of its factions, including the largest one formerly led by Abe, failed to report portions of their income from fundraising parties and created slush funds.

Answers to the survey included responses to questions about the upcoming Osaka Expo. It found that 74.8 percent of respondents “do not want to go” to the World Expo, which is scheduled to run for six months from April 13. Only 24.6 percent said they wanted to go.

The Expo has been hit by negative publicity, particularly over costs, but also the decision by 10 countries to withdraw from the Expo.