In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is under fire for distributing gift certificates to 15 novice lawmakers within his party, adding fuel to a scandal that threatens his already precarious hold on power.
Ishiba has refuted any violation of political funding laws and refuses to step down. Nonetheless, opposition figures and dissenters within his own ranks argue that the gifts were overly extravagant and illustrate Ishiba’s disconnection, especially in light of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) significant electoral defeat last year due to earlier funding irregularities.
Reports from Japanese media earlier this week revealed that an aide of Ishiba distributed gift certificates valued at 100,000 yen ($670) to the offices of these lawmakers prior to a private dinner with the Prime Minister.
At present, Ishiba is heading a minority government after the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito faced a significant loss in October’s Lower House elections, the more dominant of Japan’s bicameral parliament. Although the LDP remains the largest party, its considerable losses have rendered it less unified.
The embattled Prime Minister has already encountered difficulties in getting his budget passed, while conservative opponents are eager for opportunities to unseat him.
On Thursday night, Ishiba confessed to giving the gift certificates as a token of gratitude for the lawmakers’ efforts.
He expressed apologies for causing unease and dissatisfaction but insisted that the vouchers were not meant as political activity donations and that none of the recipients reside in his electoral district. The vouchers are redeemable at Japanese department stores.
During a parliamentary session on Friday, where opposition lawmakers challenged him about the vouchers, Ishiba repeatedly defended that the gifts did not breach the political funds law or the public election law.
Conservative factions within the LDP are urging Ishiba’s resignation as part of a broader strategy to reconfigure their approach before major elections this summer, including the critical upper house election in July, which is viewed by leading opposition parties as an opportunity for governmental change.
Earlier in the week, Shoji Nishida, an ultra-conservative LDP lawmaker, called on his peers to elect a new leader, stating that with Ishiba as the party’s figurehead, victory is unattainable for the LDP.
