Politics & Government

Yomiuri Survey Shows 81% See LDP Lawmakers Tainted by Money Scandal Bear Responsibility for Upper House Election Loss

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, August 25, 2025

Eighty-one percent of respondents in a recent Yomiuri Shimbun survey said the Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who were part of a “politics and money” scandal bear a heavy responsibility for the ruling coalition’s loss in the latest House of Councillors election.

In the nationwide survey, 50% of the respondents replied that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba bore a great responsibility for the election loss, after which the ruling camp of the LDP and Komeito has a minority of seats in both the House of Representatives and the upper house. Ishiba is also the LDP president.

The survey findings show that the respondents hold stricter views toward the LDP lawmakers than toward the prime minister.

The percentage of those who think the prime minister’s responsibility is heavy — at 50% — is higher than the 44% who do not think so.

Among LDP supporters alone, 39% of respondents think so and 55% do not.

Among respondents who support opposition parties, 62% said they think Ishiba’s responsibility is heavy and 35% said they do not think so.

Among respondents who do not support any specific party, both views were even at 45% for each.

Regarding whether Ishiba should step down from the prime minister’s post, only 20% of respondents who support the LDP said they think so and 74% said they do not think so. Among all respondents, 42% said Ishiba should step down and 50% said he should not.

The 81% of respondents who replied that the LDP lawmakers tainted by the “money and politics” scandal bear a heavy responsibility was much higher than the 14% who do not think so.

Irrespective of party allegiance, high percentages of respondents replied that the LDP lawmakers bear heavy responsibility. The percentage was 79% among LDP supporters, 86% among those who support opposition parties and 78% among those who do not support any specific party.

By age group, 80% of respondents age 18 to 39 replied they think the LDP lawmakers bear heavy responsibility, while 77% age 40 to 59 and 84% age 60 or older also replied so.