Japan govt approval rate drops sharply

TOKYO, Mar 17 (AFP): Approval ratings for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's government have dropped sharply, polls showed Monday, as the leader faces a backlash for distributing expensive gift vouchers to rookie ruling-party lawmakers.

The Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed Japan almost continuously since 1955, has been convulsed by a series of corruption scandals in recent years, including one over kickbacks to lawmakers that sank Ishiba's predecessor.

Just 26 percent of voters polled by the Asahi Shimbun daily expressed support for Ishiba's cabinet, a dramatic fall from the 40 percent who felt similarly in the same survey in February.

A separate survey by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily put support for the administration at 31 percent, down from 39 percent in February. Both were the lowest since Ishiba took office in October.

Ishiba, 68, has come under fire for handing out gift vouchers each worth 100,000 yen ($670) to 15 new LDP lawmakers-a move he has defended as legally sound and not a political donation.

Grilled by opposition MPs in parliament, Ishiba apologised on Friday "for causing trouble and worry to many people" over the voucher scandal.