Abe admits to political missteps as his support ratings plunge

Tokyo

THROWN into defensive mode by a fresh scandal involving allegations of political impropriety and by a plunge in his government's popularity, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday pledged to take steps to restore public trust in his administration.

At the same time, he promised to reinvigorate his Abenomics policies and place particular emphasis on human resource development and creating high-quality jobs in Japan.

"We must calmly explain each policy one by one so that we can win the trust of Japanese citizens," Mr Abe told a news conference on Monday which came after the end of parliament's latest session on Sunday. "I have renewed my determination to do so," he aded.

Mr Abe also said he would start thinking "carefully" about reshuffling his Cabinet and key party posts to get the right people to push ahead with reforms.

His remarks at the press conference came shortly after the International Monetary Fund issued a report saying that sustained economic recovery in Japan needed bolder measures on the part of the government.

Mr Abe also announced earlier on Monday that he hoped to reach an outline accord on signing an economic partnership agreement with the European Union as soon as possible.

Last week, Japan's Ministry of Education acknowledged the existence of documents that, according to opposition parties, suggested Mr Abe wanted a new veterinary school run by a friend to be approved in a state-run special economic zone.

The prime minister has denied abusing his authority to benefit his friend. On Monday, he repeated that procedures had not been "distorted" but acknowledged the government needed to win back public trust, Kyodo News reported.

The incident came close on the heels of another one involving alleged favourable treatment of a Japanese educational establishment with close ties to Mr Abe and his wife which was alleged to have obtained state-owned land for a new school at a steep discount to market value.

In the wake of these incidents and the "railroading" through parliament by Mr Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its allies of a controversial new anti-conspiracy law, the popularity of the Abe government has plunged.

Several public opinion polls have shown support for Mr Abe's government slumping sharply, with the Mainichi newspaper reporting that the leader's personal ratings had fallen 10 points to 36 per cent, the biggest drop since he took office in December 2012.

Disapproval of Mr Abe rose to 44 per cent, the first time it surpassed the percentage of those who approved of him since October 2015, after parliament enacted controversial security laws expanding the scope for military activities overseas, the newspaper said.