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Japan PM Gains Little After Disbanding Tarnished Faction
(Bloomberg) -- Support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida showed scant signs of recovery in a series of polls carried out over the weekend after he dissolved his scandal-hit faction in a bid to restore trust.
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A survey by the Yomiuri newspaper carried out Saturday and Sunday found support had fallen by one percentage point to 24%, while another by broadcaster ANN showed a slip to 20.4%. The Asahi newspaper found support unchanged, while by contrast the Sankei found it had risen by five percentage points compared with the previous month.
Kishida announced Friday he would disband the group, just as Tokyo prosecutors said they had indicted eight people associated with the ruling party over a wide-ranging slush-fund scandal. Two other factions implicated in the allegations also said they would disband.
Public anger over the problem sent support for the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party to its lowest on record in one poll last week, but opposition parties have failed to capitalize on its weakness. None have support of more than single figures and no general election need be held until 2025.
Read more: Japan’s Kishida to Dissolve His Faction Amid Slush-Fund Woes
The LDP has long been made up of factions that act as parties within the party, raising their own funds and promoting members for leadership. The scandal has effectively led to the breakup of three of the five major groupings, throwing doubt over how a successor to Kishida — whose term ends in September — will be chosen.
Former Prime Minister Taro Aso has said he won’t disband his own faction, the Asahi newspaper reported, while party Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi hasn’t made clear his plans for his own group.
Read: Japan Ruling Party Official Says Factions Need More Oversight
While Kishida’s support rose in the Sankei poll, it remained below the 30% level seen as the danger zone for Japanese premiers.
About 61% of respondents to the Asahi poll said they approved of Kishida’s abolition of his own faction, even as more than 70% of respondents said disbandment wouldn’t restore trust in politics. Three quarters of respondents to the Yomiuri survey said they didn’t have positive expectations for an LDP panel established to discuss how to reform the party.
Motegi called on Sunday for more party control over the factions and said the political funds law should be changed so that politicians can be held responsible for any wrongdoing, rather than just secretaries and faction staff.
(Updates throughout with fourth poll.)
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