Public criticism

However, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida does not seem genuinely motivated to conduct a thorough investigation. If he does, significant irregularities may surface, leading to strong public criticism of the LDP, said Takakage Fujita, secretary-general of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement.

"It is likely that Kishida will attempt to weather the current situation with superficial measures to prevent a recurrence of similar problems," he said. Due to the recent slush fund scandal, the Abe faction, the largest faction within the LDP, has suffered a significant blow.

The Abe faction decided at its last general meeting on Thursday to set up a liquidation management committee to disband the group, Kyodo News reported.

"The under-the-table money scandal will bring about significant changes in the power structure of the Liberal Democratic Party. In the coming months, intense power struggles within the LDP are expected to escalate as its lawmakers head toward the party leadership election in September," Fujita said.

Shigeaki Koga, a former senior official from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said if Kishida drags it out until the LDP leadership election in September, his low approval ratings might become a challenge.

"It might not be Kishida, but someone else could gain popularity. Therefore, the challenge for him is to dissolve the parliament before September and achieve a decent result," he said.

Yet, it remains uncertain if his approval ratings will recover by then. An essential aspect is to bring real wage growth into positive territory, which is quite challenging, Koga said.

jiangxueqing@chinadaily.com.cn