TOKYO, March 20 — Former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his predecessors are facing scrutiny over the practice of distributing gift vouchers, following revelations that Kishida’s office handed out 100,000 yen (RM2,983) vouchers to Parliamentary vice ministers during a 2022 meal gathering.
According to the Kyodo News Agency, the revelation comes amid growing pressure on Kishida’s successor Shigeru Ishiba, who is also under fire for distributing similar vouchers to newly elected House of Representatives members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The LDP has been struggling to regain public trust after a political fundraising scandal that cost the ruling coalition its majority in the House of Representatives in October last year.
According to ruling party sources, Kishida’s staff provided vouchers to LDP lawmakers who were serving as Parliamentary vice ministers ahead of a meeting at the Prime Minister’s official residence on December 20, 2022.
Kishida’s office told Kyodo News, "We always followed the law," but did not elaborate. He served as Japan’s leader from October 2021 until he was replaced by Ishiba.
With a House of Councillors election approaching this summer, opposition figures have been vocal in their criticism.
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's leader Yoshihiko Noda, who served as prime minister from 2011 to 2012, distanced himself from the practice, telling the press that he had "never" given out vouchers.
"This looks to be an issue with the LDP’s political culture. It is shaping up to be a deep-rooted structural one," he said.
Ishiba, who took office as Prime Minister and LDP chief five months ago, has pledged to restore public trust in government. However, the voucher revelations have put further strain on his administration.
On Wednesday, Komeito policy chief Mitsunari Okamoto, whose party is the LDP’s junior coalition partner, urged the ruling party to address the controversy.
"If (voucher-giving) was habitual, then it is inappropriate," he said at a press conference.
Japan’s political funds control law prohibits individuals from making donations to politicians for political activities, and Ishiba has denied that the vouchers distributed by his office before a March 3 dinner meeting were political donations.
However, similar financial controversies have plagued the ruling LDP, including reports during Kishida’s tenure that several senior LDP figures underreported portions of their fundraising income.
— Bernama
