Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, is grappling with a record-low public approval rating amid ongoing political funds scandals. The LDP and the opposition have agreed to convene the House of Councillors ethics committee on Thursday to address the issue. Despite efforts to review party regulations and restore public trust, critics argue that the LDP's internal measures are insufficient for fundamental reform, with one analyst telling TIME, "There are no signs that the LDP is capable of reforming itself." Additionally, controversial comments by LDP politician Onoda Kimi, attributing the party's declining support to its stance on LGBTQ+ issues with the claim "it’s because of the gays," have stirred further controversy. The scandals have significantly impacted the LDP's reputation, with no clear path to recovery in sight.
Member of LDP's biggest faction unaware when slush fund scheme began https://t.co/nt9oTTLj3j
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is trying to mend its scandal-ridden reputation. It’s failing https://t.co/3NZiuyu7Pu
Support for Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party is dropping. Is it because of all the financial scandals? Nope, says LDP pol Onoda Kimi: it’s because of the gays. She claimed on X (w/o evidence) that the party’s lukewarm “LGBT Understanding” bill last year is what’s tanking it. https://t.co/1PaRN3vp4f
EDITORIAL: LDP to amend its constitution / The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s aim to review party regulations and restore the public’s trust is understandable, but simply implementing intraparty measures will not lead to fundamental solutions. https://t.co/QlpMXpTai8 https://t.co/ma0TAwRDfv
“There are no signs that the LDP is capable of reforming itself,” one analyst tells TIME of Japan’s scandal-ridden ruling Liberal Democratic Party https://t.co/pOM4SHsHtE
Japan upper house to convene funds scandal panel on Thursday: Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition camp agreed to convene the House of Councillors ethics committee on Thursday over a political funds scandal… https://t.co/zWqdf7GbNs #japannews #japantoday
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is facing record-low public approval as his party fails to turn around its scandal-ridden reputation https://t.co/U8jnniiim3