Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ’s approval ratings have sharply declined amid public outrage over gift certificates he gave to party members, exposing deep-seated resentment toward the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and raising ethical concerns ahead of an important election. Analysts have noted that the 100,000-yen (US$668) gift certificates given by Ishiba to 15 LDP members after a dinner party in early March were not illegal since they were classified as personal gifts rather than political donations. However, they emphasised the shadow of previous financial scandals within the LDP had not gone away and that a “volcanic magma” of anger is building among the Japanese electorate. A weekend Asahi newspaper poll showed that Ishiba’s cabinet approval rating had dropped from 40 per cent to 26 per cent since the
