TOKYO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday came under fire following revelations that his office handed out gift vouchers worth 100,000 yen (about 676 U.S. dollars) each to 15 ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers earlier this month.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Ishiba apologized but reiterated that the vouchers were paid out of his own pocket and were intended as tokens of appreciation, not donations, for the families of the lawmakers who were elected for the first time in last October's Lower House election.

On Thursday evening, the Asahi Shimbun reported that Ishiba had dinner with 15 rookie lawmakers at the prime minister's official residence on March 3, but hours before the gathering, Ishiba's staff delivered vouchers to the office of each of the first-term members.

All of the newly elected lawmakers later returned the vouchers, Kyodo News reported, citing sources with knowledge of the situation.

"There are no legal problems concerning this," Ishiba said, arguing that the vouchers were not political donations prohibited by the law.

Japan's political funds control law bans individuals from making donations to politicians and to people running for public office for their political activities, with exceptions for campaigning activities.

Ishiba added that the action also did not violate the Public Offices Election Act, which prohibits politicians from giving monetary donations or gifts to people in their constituency, as none of the lawmakers live in his own electoral district.

However, the revelation deals a blow to Ishiba, who became LDP leader and therefore prime minister about five months ago with a pledge to regain public confidence in politics tainted by a slush-funds scandal involving LDP heavyweights. On top of that, for the minority government, the draft budget plan for fiscal 2025 is still under deliberation in the parliament, with no prospects for final approval.

Opposition party leaders pressed Ishiba on the matter, questioning the legality of his handing out of the vouchers ahead of the dinner meeting.

"From a mere common sense perspective, the sum is way too high," said Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, adding that "letting one's guard down at such a sensitive time makes me wonder about (Ishiba's) political sensitivity."

"At a time when the public is suffering from high prices, and the government claims there are no financial resources, it seems like a contradiction to give 100,000 yen as a souvenir to lawmakers in your own party," Democratic Party for the People head Yuichiro Tamaki wrote on social media.

"It is a bribe of some sort. It's totally inappropriate, and he should seriously reflect on his behavior," Seiji Maehara, the co-head of the Japan Innovation Party, told reporters. Enditem

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