Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s approval ratings have sharply declined amid public outrage over gift certificates he gave to party members, exposing deep-seated resentment toward the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and raising ethical concerns ahead of an important election.
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Analysts have noted that the 100,000-yen (US$668) gift certificates given by Ishiba to 15 LDP members after a dinner party in early March were not illegal since they were classified as personal gifts rather than political donations.
However, they emphasised the shadow of previous financial scandals within the LDP had not gone away and that a “volcanic magma” of anger is building among the Japanese electorate.
A weekend Asahi newspaper poll showed that Ishiba’s cabinet approval rating had dropped from 40 per cent to 26 per cent since the early days of his administration, while disapproval rose from 44 per cent to 59 per cent.
The Mainichi reported support at just 23 per cent, down 7 points since February, with a 64 per cent disapproval rating. Meanwhile, the conservative-leaning Yomiuri noted a record low support of 31 per cent since Ishiba took office in October.
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Tadashi Anno, a professor of politics at Tokyo’s Sophia University, said he was surprised by the strong reaction to the incident.