Kishida's Erratic Handling Of Scandals Puts "Three Golden Years" Into Question

Prime Minister Kishida lowered the bar for issuing dissolution orders to religious associations, making an about-face on his interpretation of the law from the previous day, as he remains under pressure to prove that his Liberal Democratic Party is severing ties with the Unification Church.

• The government's response to the Unification Church scandal came under criticism for its lack of consistency and largely reactive nature, with the administration seemingly torn between calls for decisive action and concerns over potential abuse of religious freedom. Kishida has also ordered his MPs to cooperate with the opposition in drafting the rules on relief for the Church's victims, even as his administration has not done any groundwork for the bill.
• The ruling party has also struggled to formulate a unified response to criticisms of holding a state funeral for the late former Premier Shinzo Abe. Sankei reported that the LDP will propose to establish a multi-party parliamentary council to decide on granting state funerals. This comes days after the party punished a veteran lawmaker who sided with majority of the public in opposing Abe's state funeral and called the murdered Premier a traitor.
• Mainichi ran a report noting that the LDP's largest faction held a meeting Wednesday night, which saw Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno cast doubt on the stability of the administration, as he noted that "especially after the [G7] summit, anything can happen," referring to the potential for an early election. The newspaper commented that if the government's approval rating remains rock-bottom, Kishida might be voted out in the 2024 party leadership contest - which he could try to pre-empt by winning a snap election.