As Japan’s PM faces accusations of personal favouritism, his approval ratings have plummeted.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is facing an uphill struggle amid plummeting ratings and a growing lack of confidence in his leadership.
The latest public opinion polls suggest support has dropped to less than 30%.
This week he is facing a tough grilling in both houses of parliament over claims he exploited his political power to help a long-time friend.
While Mr Abe insists he is innocent, the persistent allegations could threaten his political future.
The Japanese prime minister has weathered many a crisis in his career.
After a short-lived first stint as prime minister, he came to power in 2012 with sweeping promises to lift the economy out of years of stagnation.
He was until recently widely expected to run for — and win — a third term in 2018, which would make him the longest serving Japanese leader in the post-war era.
The sharp drop in approval ratings is attributed to string of recent scandals and the way that Mr Abe has handled them.
The current allegations that have led to the parliamentary grilling centre around accusations of personal favouritism.
Mr Abe, his critics say, used his position of power to help a personal friend win approval for a private veterinary school.
The case is largely based on allegations by a former official in the education ministry who claims that the approval was influenced by pressure from aides to the prime minister.
The approval appears to contradict a consensus that no new such schools are needed. For more than five decades not a single new one had been approved.
It is not the first time the Japanese prime minister has faced this kind of claim.
In March, a privately run primary school was found to have bought public land at a suspiciously low price.
