Pressure mounts on scandal-hit Abe to quit

SHINZO ABE, Japan’s prime minister, is fighting for his political life, with one of his predecessors predicting that he will soon resign following a string of scandals and sliding ratings.

Junichiro Koizumi, one of Japan’s most popular postwar prime ministers, said Mr Abe was in a “dangerous” situation, adding: “Won’t he resign around the time the current parliamentary session ends [on 20 June]?”

Mr Koizumi’s comments reflect wider discontent in Japan, where tens of thousands of people gathered near parliament with signs saying “Abe is Over” and chanting “Abe quit!”.

The prediction coincided with Mr Abe heading to the United States for a two-day meeting with Donald Trump in Florida over Japan’s role in tackling North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats as well as bilateral trade.

Back at home, Mr Abe’s reputation has been severely dented by a scandal surrounding the heavily discounted sale of state-owned land to a school operator with ties to Akie Abe, his wife. While Mr Abe has protested his innocence, the finance ministry recently admitted tampering with sale documents to remove references to Mr Abe and his wife.

Meanwhile, the same ministry was embroiled in scandal last week, following claims that Junichi Fukuda, the administrative vice finance minister, sexually harassed several female reporters. Mr Fukuda denies the claims.

Mr Abe’s popularity has hit a record low, with a Nippon TV survey citing public support for him as down to just 26.6 per cent and an Asahi newspaper poll putting it at only 31 per cent.