Japan’s Takaichi faces backlash over US$190 victory gifts to ruling party lawmakers

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was under pressure on Wednesday after it emerged she gave congratulatory gift catalogues to lawmakers from her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) following its landslide election victory this month.Each of her party’s 315 MPs was 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 social media post, saying that no taxpayer money was used.The revelation evokes a slush-fund scandal that engulfed the LDP in 2023, sinking then-prime minister 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 on Tuesday.04:32Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi sparks ‘sanamania’ craze as youth drives election surgeJapan’s PM Sanae Takaichi sparks ‘sanamania’ craze as youth drives election surge“This is a new development in which she will be strictly held accountable,” he wrote in a social media post.Takaichi told parliament on Wednesday that the cost of each gift, plus shipping costs and tax, was around 30,000 yen (US$190) per person and was paid for by political funds from a party branch that she heads.