Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has dropped to a record low after he handed out gift vouchers to ruling party lawmakers, an Asahi newspaper poll showed on Monday. Approval fell 14 percentage points to 26%, the lowest since he took office last October.
The survey, conducted March 15-16, follows reports that Ishiba gave 100,000 yen ($673) vouchers to 15 first-term lawmakers from his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) earlier this month. Critics argue the handout may violate political funding laws.
Speaking in parliament, Ishiba defended the gesture, calling it "pocket money" and a "show of appreciation" for their work in the election. While insisting the action did not break the law, he apologised for causing "distrust and anger among many people."
All 15 lawmakers have since returned the vouchers, according to Japanese media.
Separate polls by Yomiuri and Mainichi newspapers over the weekend also confirmed a record-low approval for Ishiba’s government. The decline comes months before an upper house election in July, adding pressure to his leadership.
The controversy unfolds as Japan’s economy faces uncertainty from escalating trade tensions with the United States, led by President Donald Trump.
German police say at least 17 people were injured in a knife attack at Hamburg’s main train station on Friday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the arrest of those responsible for the failed launch of the country’s second naval destroyer, calling the incident an “unpardonable criminal act” and demanding accountability amid skepticism over the extent of damage to the warship.
A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to strip Harvard University of its ability to enrol international students, following a lawsuit that marks a major escalation in tensions between the White House and the Ivy League institution.
Russia and Ukraine have carried out a major prisoner exchange, each returning 270 military personnel and 120 civilians to the other side, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Boeing has struck a deal with the U.S. Justice Department to avoid criminal charges over the 737 Max tragedies, agreeing to pay over $1.1 billion in penalties, victim support, and safety reforms.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the arrest of those responsible for the failed launch of the country’s second naval destroyer, calling the incident an “unpardonable criminal act” and demanding accountability amid skepticism over the extent of damage to the warship.
German police say at least 17 people were injured in a knife attack at Hamburg’s main train station on Friday.
Iran and the U.S. ended a fresh round of indirect talks in Rome, as negotiators hope to resolve a decades-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to strip Harvard University of its ability to enrol international students, following a lawsuit that marks a major escalation in tensions between the White House and the Ivy League institution.
Tensions flare in the India-France Rafale deal as France refuses to share the fighter jet’s source code, limiting India’s ability to integrate indigenous weapons and reducing its combat autonomy.
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Anton Kobyakov, adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum that the USSR’s dissolution was legally invalid and that the Soviet Union still exists under constitutional law, framing the Ukraine war as an “internal process.”
In a region long defined by conflict and complex history, AnewZ set out to hear the voices that matter most- those of the people.
Two staff members from the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C.- Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were shot and killed on Wednesday night by a lone gunman as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, close to the White House.
Boeing has struck a deal with the U.S. Justice Department to avoid criminal charges over the 737 Max tragedies, agreeing to pay over $1.1 billion in penalties, victim support, and safety reforms.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the arrest of those responsible for the failed launch of the country’s second naval destroyer, calling the incident an “unpardonable criminal act” and demanding accountability amid skepticism over the extent of damage to the warship.
German police say at least 17 people were injured in a knife attack at Hamburg’s main train station on Friday.
Iran and the U.S. ended a fresh round of indirect talks in Rome, as negotiators hope to resolve a decades-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to strip Harvard University of its ability to enrol international students, following a lawsuit that marks a major escalation in tensions between the White House and the Ivy League institution.
Boeing has struck a deal with the U.S. Justice Department to avoid criminal charges over the 737 Max tragedies, agreeing to pay over $1.1 billion in penalties, victim support, and safety reforms.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the arrest of those responsible for the failed launch of the country’s second naval destroyer, calling the incident an “unpardonable criminal act” and demanding accountability amid skepticism over the extent of damage to the warship.
German police say at least 17 people were injured in a knife attack at Hamburg’s main train station on Friday.
Iran and the U.S. ended a fresh round of indirect talks in Rome, as negotiators hope to resolve a decades-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to strip Harvard University of its ability to enrol international students, following a lawsuit that marks a major escalation in tensions between the White House and the Ivy League institution.
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