## Kishida Cabinet's Approval Rating Rises After Punishments in Fund Scandal
The approval rating for the Kishida Cabinet has risen to 26%, while the disapproval rating has fallen to 62%, according to a recent Asahi Shimbun survey. This increase comes after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) punished 39 lawmakers over a political fund scandal.
The approval rating for the Kishida administration has been below 30% for seven consecutive months since October, reaching a record low of 21% in February. However, the rate has since started to climb. In the previous survey conducted in March, the approval rating was 22%, while the disapproval rating was 67%.
The LDP's punishment of the 39 lawmakers on April 9th, following the fund-raising party scandal, appears to have had a positive impact on public perception. The latest approval rating is one point above the 25% recorded in November, when the scandal first came under scrutiny.
The survey also revealed that the LDP's support rating has increased to 26%, up from 22% in March. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan received support from 6% of respondents, while Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) gained 4%.
However, public dissatisfaction with the LDP's handling of the scandal remains high. 78% of respondents disapproved of Kishida's response, while only 16% approved. Additionally, 67% of respondents were dissatisfied with the LDP's punishment of the 39 lawmakers, compared to 24% who were satisfied.
The survey also found that a significant majority of respondents (92%) believe the truth about the scandal has not yet been determined.
Despite the ongoing controversy, the Japan-U.S. summit between Kishida and President Biden on April 10th received approval from 44% of respondents, slightly more than the 39% who disapproved.
When asked who they would prefer as the next prime minister, former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba topped the list with 19% of respondents, followed by former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi with 14%. Notably, the largest bloc of voters (33%) chose "there is no such person on the list," indicating a lack of confidence in the current leadership.