Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Expresses Deep Regret over Controversial Distribution of Gift Certificates to LDP Lawmakers

The Yomiuri Shimbun

18:44 JST, March 17, 2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba again apologized during the House of Councillors’ Budget Committee meeting on Monday morning over the controversy surrounding the distribution of gift certificates to Liberal Democratic Party members of the House of Representatives.

“I deeply feel that this largely diverged from socially accepted norms and public sentiment,” Ishiba said. “I sincerely apologize.”

The statement came in response to questioning by Noriko Ishigaki from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. While Ishiba emphasized, “I do not believe this violates the Public Offices Election Law or the Political Funds Control Law,” Ishigaki insisted on accountability, urging Ishiba to clarify his stance, including providing explanations at the Diet’s Deliberative Council on Political Ethics.

On Monday morning, senior officials of both houses of the LDP held discussions in Tokyo to deliberate future management at parliament. LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama said during the meeting, “We sincerely take public opinion to heart and aim to restore trust.”

Meanwhile, deliberations in the House of Councillors on the fiscal 2025 budget proposal have reached a critical stage. The government and the LDP aim to ensure its passage within the current fiscal year.