Abes agenda challenged as scandals mount

Shinzo Abe | credits: usatoday.com

Prime Minister, Shinzo Abes honeymoon with Japans voters is fading as scandals and a slowing economic recovery take a toll on his popularity and hinder progress on his policy agenda.

According to the Associated Press, the resignations of two ministers in Abes newly reshuffled Cabinet and reports that political funds of the replacement trade minister were used in a visit to a sex show bar were just the start.

Those reports got people digging into the riches to be found in publicly available political funding disclosures.

They show some lawmakers spending hundreds and often thousands of dollars a night on visits to restaurants and mahjong parlors, while ordinary households are struggling to keep up with rising costs for food, heating and other necessities.

The most recent opinion polls show Abes approval ratings slipping to around 50 per cent. They had mostly been in the 60s since 2013.

The controversies are unwelcome distraction at a time of sharpening divisions within the ruling party over whether Abe should press ahead with a sales tax hike next year that is needed to help fix the tattered finances of the worlds third-largest economy.

News of possible election law and political funding violations forced the resignations last week of Abes justice and trade ministers, both among the five women who had just taken office in the early September Cabinet reshuffle that showcased Abes commitment to stronger roles for women in leadership.

Its a serious setback. So much of the Abe Cabinets shine was due to its aura of invincibility and inevitability, said Michael Cucek, a Tokyo-based analyst and fellow at Temple University Japan.

Troubles over campaign funds and related issues have long contributed to Japans famous revolving door politics. Abes first term as prime minister, in 2006-2007, ended when he was driven from office by scandals and health problems after just a year.

See the rest here:
Abes agenda challenged as scandals mount