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The Yomiuri Shimbun Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiichiro Murakami, left, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, center, and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani attend a Cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday.
By Yuta Moriyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
16:06 JST, October 30, 2024
The results of a nationwide public opinion poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun on Monday and Tuesday indicate a significant drop in approval ratings for the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. This is because the people’s anger over the politics and money issue has not subsided, and the government and ruling parties are growing increasingly alarmed.
With the ruling parties becoming a minority in the House of Representatives, Ishiba, also president of the Liberal Democratic Party, is seeking to cooperate with opposition parties on a budget and other issues. However, there are no clear prospects for improving the instability of government operations.
Shocking results
“We will fully take these harsh results to heart, and work to restore trust by fully implementing our policies,” Itsunori Onodera, chairperson of the LDP’s Policy Research Council, said, referring to the outcome of the Yomiuri poll.
The opinion poll result was a major shock to the government and the ruling parties. A survey conducted immediately after the Oct. 1 launch of the Ishiba Cabinet resulted in an approval rating of 51% for the administration. “The festive mood has disappeared in less than a month,” a veteran LDP lawmaker said with a sigh.
“The figures show that the people are calling on the ruling parties to reflect,” said Natsuo Yamaguchi, former leader of the LDP’s coalition partner Komeito. “We are being asked to humbly manage the country.”
The root cause
The biggest factor behind the sudden drop in the Cabinet’s approval rating was the LDP’s poor handling of the political funds scandal. The opinion poll confirmed that there was still strong criticism of the fact that the LDP provided its local chapters headed by unendorsed candidates with ¥20 million each, the same amount as the candidates running in the Oct. 27 lower house election on the official party ticket.
The gap between the people’s desire for a tough response to the politics and money issue and the ruling parties’ response led to the ruling parties losing their majority in the lower house. Within the LDP, there is a widespread sense of regret with some LDP members saying things like: “Our ¥20 million problem came to light, and it seems that’s why we lost 15 to 20 seats [for the issue]. If it weren’t for that, maybe we could have held on to a narrow majority.”
At a press conference on Monday following the ruling parties’ humiliating defeat in the lower house election, Ishiba announced his intention to abolish the political activity funds that are paid by political parties to individual Diet members.
In campaign speeches for the recent election, the LDP’s stated position on these political activity funds was only that they would ensure transparency “with a view to future abolition.” However, it appears that the LDP has been forced to change this stance because of the election results.
