Ishiba’s Cabinet Approval Plummets Amid Gift Voucher Scandal

• Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba’s approval ratings have dropped to 27.6% amid a gift voucher scandal.
• Ishiba admitted to distributing 100,000 yen gift vouchers to Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) colleagues, a practice that has been followed by previous prime ministers.
• The scandal has raised questions about Ishiba’s leadership and the LDP’s ability to manage political funds responsibly.
• The LDP’s support stands at 27.7%, with the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan at 11.1% and the Japan Innovation Party at 5.4%.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s cabinet has seen a significant drop in approval ratings, plummeting to a record low of 27.6 percent since he assumed office in October. This decline in support follows revelations that he distributed gift vouchers to novice lawmakers from the ruling party, according to a survey conducted by Kyodo News. The survey, conducted over the weekend, revealed that a staggering 71.6 percent of respondents were against Ishiba’s distribution of cash-equivalent coupons, each worth 100,000 yen, to his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) colleagues.

This practice has cast a shadow over Ishiba’s previously clean reputation regarding financial matters. The LDP, which has been in power for the majority of the period since 1955, has a long history of political funds scandals. The survey was conducted after Ishiba admitted that his office had provided gift certificates, but he argued that the practice did not pose any legal issues. This admission prompted some LDP members to disclose that previous prime ministers had engaged in similar conduct.

Last week, it was revealed that the office of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Ishiba’s predecessor, had offered gift vouchers of the same value to parliamentary vice ministers during a 2022 meal gathering with the then premier. This scandal has not only tarnished Ishiba’s reputation but also cast doubt on his leadership capabilities, especially in steering an already faltering government.

Ishiba’s Leadership Questioned Amid Scandal

The disapproval rating for Ishiba’s cabinet jumped by 16.0 points to 57.8 percent in March, a significant increase from the 39.6 percent support the cabinet enjoyed last month. The scandal has also shed light on a long-standing controversial practice among Japanese prime ministers. An LDP lawmaker revealed that he received cash-equivalent coupons after being elected in 2012. This was the same year that saw the return of Shinzo Abe, who had served a one-year tenure in 2006-2007, to begin a second term that continued through 2020.

Abe, postwar Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was assassinated during an election campaign speech in 2022. The LDP’s failure to manage political funds responsibly has led to widespread disappointment, with the poll showing that 78.5 percent of respondents felt that problems related to politics and money will not be resolved under the LDP-led government. Throughout 2024, the LDP faced 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.

The mounting criticism of the ruling party eroded public trust in the LDP and triggered its crushing defeat in the House of Representatives election last October. This forced Ishiba to form a minority government just about a month after becoming prime minister.

Political Landscape Shifts Amid Scandal

In terms of political party support, the LDP stood at 27.7 percent, with the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan at 11.1 percent and the Japan Innovation Party, which has recently pursued policy coordination with the ruling bloc, at 5.4 percent. The Democratic Party for the People, an opposition group the ruling camp is courting for its minority government, hit 12.9 percent, exceeding that of the CDPJ. Respondents with no affiliation to any particular party accounted for 23.0 percent.

In the lower house election last year, the CDPJ increased its seats to 148 from 98, while the LDP and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito party, dropped sharply to a combined total of 215, losing their majority in the powerful chamber. The JIP gained 38 seats. The DPP quadrupled its seats by using social media to push what some critics label as populist policies — such as tax cuts to boost disposable income for households — but currently holds only 28 in the 465-member lower house.

The survey also showed that 74.8 percent of respondents do not want to go to the World Exposition in Osaka, which is scheduled to run for six months from April 13, surpassing the 24.6 percent who said they do. So far, around 10 countries have decided to withdraw from the expo in Osaka, the commercial hub of western Japan, with concerns growing over ballooning construction costs, apparently fueling a negative public image of the event.

The nationwide survey, conducted for two days through Sunday, called 496 randomly selected households with eligible voters and 3,454 mobile phone numbers. It yielded responses from 423 household members and 623 mobile phone users. Some areas in Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan, struck by a powerful earthquake in January last year, were excluded.

The recent scandal involving Prime Minister Ishiba and the gift vouchers is a stark reminder of the political funds scandals that have plagued the LDP in the past. The party’s inability to manage political funds responsibly has been a recurring issue, leading to widespread disappointment and a loss of public trust. As the LDP grapples with this latest scandal, it remains to be seen how it will impact the party’s performance in future elections and its ability to regain public trust.