Japan PM Ishiba’s Cabinet approval hits record low, Asahi reports
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The approval rating slid to 26 per cent, the lowest since Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba took office in October 2024.
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TOKYO - Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government dropped to a record low after he handed out gift vouchers to some ruling party lawmakers, a poll conducted by the Asahi newspaper showed on March 17.
The approval rating slid 14 percentage points to 26 per cent from the previous survey done in February, the worst since Mr Ishiba took office in October 2024, according to the March 15 to 16 poll by the Asahi.
Other polls done by the Yomiuri newspaper and the Mainichi newspaper over the weekend also showed public approval for the Ishiba’s cabinet fell to a record low.
Mr Ishiba found himself in a hot water as he handed out gift vouchers worth 100,000 yen (S$900) each to 15 first-term lower house lawmakers of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) earlier in March, drawing criticism as it could violate a political law.
Speaking in parliament, Mr Ishiba said he used “pocket money” to hand out gift certificates to the lawmakers before having dinner with them on March 3 as a “show of appreciation” for their hard work getting elected.
The premier said the gift handout did not violate a political fund law but apologised for his action caused “distrust and anger among many people”.
All of the 15 lawmakers returned the gift vouchers to Mr Ishiba’s office, according to Japanese media.
The slide in opinion polls could be a blow to Mr Ishiba’s leadership ahead of an upper house election slated for July, and comes at a time when Japan’s economy faces headwinds from the escalating trade war waged by US President Donald Trump.
