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Bloomberg
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to stem a slide in his popularity in a special parliamentary hearing on Monday, reiterating his denials of cronyism, apologizing for disparaging remarks about opponents and vowing to focus on the economy.
Approval for Abe’s cabinet slumped again in three media polls conducted over the weekend. His support was at 26 percent, the lowest since he took office in 2012, in a poll conducted by the Mainichi newspaper, while disapproval was more than twice as high at 56 percent. Separate surveys by the Nikkei newspaper and FNN put support at 39 percent and 35 percent respectively. Abe and his aides are facing two days of questioning over why one of his close friends received government backing to open the country’s first veterinary college in decades. He is set to reshuffle his cabinet early next month in a bid to claw back enough support to stay in his job at least until a party leadership election due in September 2018.
“There is a saying that one should never allow room for doubts,” Abe told parliament. “Since this is a matter involving a friend of mine, it is understandable that the people would look at it with suspicion.” But he added he had no intention of canceling the project.
One opposition lawmaker produced a large print of a photograph showing Abe and Kotaro Kake, whose foundation is set to open the veterinary college, once posing for the camera. Abe said the two had been friends since they were students and sometimes treated one another to meals, but he denied that Kake had ever asked him for favors based on his political position and said he had never personally issued instructions on the project.
While support for the main opposition Democratic Party has faded into the low single figures, Abe faces potential rivals within his own LDP, raising questions over how long the government will continue with its economic program of unprecedented monetary easing, deregulation and limited attempts to restore fiscal health.
“To restore the trust of the people, I think I must press ahead with my work with care and sincerity and achieve results,” Abe said. “The economy has been the administration’s top priority and it’s our job to create employment and raise wages,” he added.