The approval rating of Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet plummeted from 40 percent to 26 percent, its lowest level yet, after the prime minister became embroiled in a gift-giving scandal, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.

The disapproval rating soared to 59 percent from 44 percent in the previous survey in February.

The latest survey was conducted on March 15 and 16, after Ishiba’s office was found to have distributed gift certificates worth of 100,000 yen ($670) each to 15 rookie lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party at a dinner party on March 3.

Forty-three percent of survey respondents said the gift-giving was “very much” a problem, while 32 percent said it was a problem “to some extent,” meaning that 75 percent in total took issue with Ishiba’s action.

In comparison, 16 percent of respondents said the gift certificates were not a big deal, and 7 percent saw no problem at all, for a total “unconcerned” ratio of 23 percent.

Among LDP supporters, 66 percent thought the gifts were a problem, double the rate of 33 percent who thought they were not a problem.

When asked if Ishiba should step down over the matter, 60 percent of respondents said his resignation is unnecessary, compared with 32 percent who felt he should resign.

Seventy-five percent of LDP supporters said Ishiba does not need to resign, far exceeding the rate of 20 percent who believe he should be replaced.

Sixty percent of supporters of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan said there was no need for Ishiba to step down, surpassing the rate of 30 percent who said he should go.

Among Democratic Party for the People supporters, 50 percent said Ishiba does not need to quit, while 48 percent said he should step down.

Among unaffiliated voters, 57 percent were OK with Ishiba remaining as prime minister, compared with 30 percent who want him out.

The ratings for the Ishiba Cabinet have been on a roller-coaster ride since its formation in October last year.

Its approval rating had previously plunged from 46 percent in October to 34 percent in November.

One reason for that decline was that voters felt Ishiba’s words and actions changed after the Lower House election in October.

The Ishiba Cabinet is obviously not the only administration that has experienced a sharp drop in popularity.

After the government went ahead with its “Go To Travel” tourism support measure when COVID-19 was still spreading around Japan, the approval rating of Yoshihide Suga’s Cabinet dropped to 39 percent in December 2020 from 56 percent the previous month.

The approval rating of the Shinzo Abe Cabinet fell to 31 percent in March 2018 from 44 percent in February after Finance Ministry falsifications of official documents related to a dodgy sale of state-owned land to the Moritomo Gakuen education institute were revealed.

The faction once led by Abe in the LDP was also at the center of a scandal over unreported political funds. The still-unresolved scandal was a key reason why the LDP lost its majority in the Lower House election in October last year.

Ishiba had portrayed himself as a politician far removed from the money-politics aspect that has led to several scandals in the LDP. But then the gift certificate scandal surfaced.

Respondents in the latest survey were asked if they think the LDP can change its nature.

Seventy-nine percent of respondents answered “no,” while only 15 percent said the party is capable of change.

Among LDP supporters, 65 percent said the party cannot change its nature, while 28 percent said it can.

However, support rates for the political parties have not changed too much.

According to the survey, 23 percent of respondents support the LDP, down from 25 percent in the previous survey, followed by 11 percent for the Democratic Party for the People, up from 10 percent, and an unchanged 7 percent for the CDP.

The support rates were 3 percent each for Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), junior coalition partner Komeito and Reiwa Shinsengumi.

For the fourth consecutive month, the support rate for the DPP exceeded that of the CDP.

When asked which party they would pick in the proportional representation system if an Upper House election were held now, 24 percent selected the LDP, down from 26 percent in the previous survey, followed by 17 percent for the DPP, up from 16 percent, and 12 percent for the CDP, up from 11 percent.

Seven percent chose Nippon Ishin, up from 5 percent, 7 percent picked Reiwa Shinsengumi, down from 9 percent, and 4 percent selected Komeito, down from 5 percent.

One hot political issue these days stemming from the LDP funding scandal concerns donations to political parties from companies and organizations.

Fifty-three percent of survey respondents said such donations should be prohibited, while 36 percent said a ban is not necessary.

Among LDP supporters, 48 percent said these donations should be allowed to continue, exceeding the 42 percent who called for a ban.

Respondents were also asked about the government’s move to modify the High-Cost Medical Expense Benefit system, which limits monthly out-of-pocket payments of patients with expensive medical bills.

Twenty-three percent said they support the government’s intention to raise the cap on those payments from patients, compared with 71 percent opposed to the government’s intention.

Ishiba had initially planned to raise the cap starting in August. However, patients’ organizations and others intensely criticized the idea, and the plan was shelved.

When asked about Ishiba’s responses over this issue, 46 percent of respondents approved the prime minister’s performance, while 45 percent disapproved of it.

The survey was conducted on eligible voters on March 15 and 16 using both landline and mobile phone numbers that were randomly generated by computer. A total of 1,137 of 2,574 voters who received the phone call gave valid answers to the survey.