Even Japanese Voters Supporting Ruling Camp Seem to Have Been Critical of LDP’s Political Fund Problems during General Election

By Hirotaka Fukaya / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:30 JST, October 30, 2024

Voters, including those who supported the ruling parties, were severely critical of the political funds scandal involving LDP factions, and this was reflected in the latest lower house election.

To the question of whether the LDP factions’ politics and money problems affected the results of the general election, 90% of all respondents replied that they thought so.

This answer was given by 89% of respondents who support the ruling parties, as well as 96% of those supporting opposition parties and 84% of those who do not support any specific parties.

About the fact that the LDP provided ¥20 million to party branches represented by members who were not endorsed by the party due to the hidden funds scandal during the election campaign period, 79% among all respondents said it was unacceptable.

Ninety-one percent of those supporting opposition parties, 80% of those who do not support any specific party and 66% among those who support the LDP gave the same answer.

This view seems to have led to the landslide loss of the LDP in the election.

While people in general are losing faith in politics, the data suggested that many voters did not want the political situation to be destabilized due to rapid change.

In a question about whether Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba should resign due to the election results, which saw the ruling coalition lose its majority in the lower house, 56% of all respondents replied that they did not think so.

Among those who support the LDP, 73% gave this answer. Among those who support opposition parties, 47% said this, as did 57% of those who do not support any specific parties.

Fifty-eight percent of all respondents said they were “happy” with the election results, but 56% of those respondents said they did not think Ishiba should resign.

Even among respondents who said they found the provision of the ¥20 million unacceptable, 56% said they do not think Ishiba should resign.

About what type of administration they favored in the wake of the general election, 43% said they hoped that the LDP-led administration will continue. The figure was slightly higher than the 40% who hoped that the reins of the government would shift to an opposition party-led coalition.