Ishiba promises to restore confidence following the scandal and guarantees inflation relief.

As the House of Councillors election approaches this summer, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba promised Tuesday to restore public confidence in his ruling party, which has already been eroded and further damaged by his own voucher-giving scandal. He also promised to implement inflation-relief measures “seamlessly.”

Ishiba made these promises during a press conference the day after parliament passed a 115.20 trillion yen state budget for the newly launched fiscal year, but he was hesitant to lower the consumption tax rate on food.

When asked how export-dependent Japan would handle the impending imposition of U.S. auto tariffs, Ishiba said his government would keep pushing the United States to exempt its Asian ally.

He said he would fly to the United States to try to persuade President Donald Trump on the issue if “appropriate,” though he emphasized that he expects the matter to be handled through discussions between the ministers in charge.

Ishiba’s minority government has managed to secure the passage of the budget for fiscal 2025, but his Cabinet has been struggling with flagging support that has hit fresh lows in recent media polls.

His handing out of vouchers worth 100,000 yen each to 15 new Liberal Democratic Party members of the House of Representatives, or lower house, apparently hurt voter confidence, coming on top of a separate slush funds scandal at the ruling party.

“I have to admit I wasn’t myself. I have to face it squarely and deeply reflect on it,” Ishiba told reporters, noting that he was “concerned” about his image as a “stingy” person who does not socialize with people by holding dinner meetings.

He reiterated that the vouchers were meant to show his appreciation for the rookie members who were elected in the general election last October where the ruling camp lost their lower house majority.

“I will devote my heart and soul to securing the trust of each and every one of you” he said, in a message to the public.

The scandal poses a fresh challenge for Ishiba’s ruling coalition as it heads toward the election for the House of Councillors, where the LDP and Komeito currently hold a majority.

Ishiba, who doubles as LDP president, stressed the need for “thorough” parliamentary debates over policy items to secure support from the opposition camp.

Asked about the possibility of holding the upper house and lower house elections at the same time, Ishiba said, “I’m not thinking about dissolving the lower house, holding simultaneous elections for both chambers, or reworking the ruling coalition.”

The upper house election to replace half of the members must be held this summer, with voters expected to deliver their verdict on his steering of the government at a time when Trump’s tariff threats have raised economic uncertainty.

The United States plans to enforce a 25 percent tariff on car imports without exceptions from Thursday.

Japanese officials have been in communication with the U.S. government seeking to get cars from Japan exempted from the move given the importance of the U.S. market to the country’s automakers.

“Japan is the biggest investor in the United States. We will continue to strongly urge the United States to exempt Japan from the measure,” Ishiba said.

To gauge the impact of the tariff hike on the Japanese economy, if imposed, the prime minister said, the government will collect information at around 1,000 consultation centers across the country and do “all it can” to meet the funding needs of affected companies.