TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (pic) was under pressure Wednesday (Feb 25) after it emerged she gave congratulatory gift catalogues to lawmakers from her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) following its landslide election victory this month.
More than 300 lawmakers were given the option to choose an item from the catalogue "as an expression of appreciation for their success at this very tough election", Takaichi wrote in a post on X, saying that no taxpayer money was used.
The revelation evokes a slush fund scandal that engulfed the LDP in 2023, sinking then-premier Fumio Kishida and fuelling voter anger that cost his successor Shigeru Ishiba's coalition a majority in both houses of parliament last year.
The news of the catalogues "could easily lead people to say, 'Prime Minister Takaichi, you too?'" Junya Ogawa, the leader of the main opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, said Tuesday.
"This is a new development in which she will be strictly held accountable," he wrote in a post on X.
Takaichi told parliament Wednesday that the cost of each gift, plus shipping costs and tax, was approximately 30,000 yen (US$190) per person and was paid for by political funds from an LDP branch in Nara which she heads.
She said on X that she also hoped the lawmakers' gifts "would be of use in their future work as legislators".
Japan's political funding law stipulates that individuals cannot make donations to candidates for public office, but donations can be made by political parties, including their local chapters.
Bunshun Online, a web version of the weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun, reported that the gift catalogue came from the well-known Kintetsu Department Store.
The store's website shows a range of catalogues. Customers can make an advance payment of 34,000 yen to send one of them to a friend, who then chooses an item inside, such as a bicycle, expensive crab meat or a stay at a luxury hotel.
Ishiba was criticised in March last year for allegedly handing out 100,000 yen's worth of gift certificates -- paid for using his own money -- to 15 first-term lower house members during a dinner. - AFP
