Public support for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet plummeted over the weekend to an all-time low following revelations that he handed out gift vouchers worth ¥100,000 ($671) each to 15 Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers earlier this month, multiple polls showed.
The Cabinet’s approval rate plunged 14 percentage points to 26% from February, a poll conducted over the weekend by the Asahi Shimbun showed on Monday. It is the lowest rating for the Cabinet since Ishiba took office last October.
Although the Asahi survey found that a whopping 75% of respondents believed the gift vouchers were “problematic,” 60% also said it is "unnecessary" for him to resign.
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