Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s approval ratings over the weekend continued to plummet as he faces a backlash over doling out ¥1.5 million ($10,000) worth of gift vouchers to his fellow Liberal Democratic Party parliamentary members, which came to light earlier this month.
The latest results are likely to increase doubts within the party about Ishiba’s leadership going into the Upper House election in the summer and strengthen opposition calls for the prime minister to account for his actions in parliament.
A Kyodo News poll conducted Saturday and Sunday showed the approval rating for Ishiba's Cabinet had fallen to 27.6%, a 12 percentage-point drop from February, before the scandal broke.
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