Late on February 24, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae posted on social media that she sent gift selection catalogs to all fellow members of her Liberal Democratic Party who won the February 8 lower house election.

She said the gifts reflect her acknowledgment that they won a difficult election.

Takaichi explained that they were donated by an LDP branch in Nara Prefecture, which she heads, and that no party subsidies were used.

Some LDP officials said the gifts were priced at several tens of thousands of yen, which falls within a socially acceptable range.

A government official said the gesture does not violate any laws.

But the move could draw criticism similar to when former Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru came under fire in March 2025 when he distributed gift certificates worth 100,000 yen to about 15 newly elected lawmakers.

The opposition took up the issue in the House of Councillors on February 25.

S/ Tanabu Masayo, Secretary-General, Constitutional Democratic Party / Prime Minister Takaichi, you donated catalog gifts to all LDP House of Representatives lawmakers after the lower house election. How much does that total? Even at 10,000 yen each, it would be around 3 million yen. At the reported 30,000 yen, wouldn’t it be close to 10 million yen?

S/ Takaichi Sanae, Prime Minister / To show appreciation for their victory in a very difficult election and in hopes that it will be useful for their future work as Diet members, the items were donated by the Nara Prefecture Number 2 electoral district branch. Including the base price, system fee, shipping and tax, the item comes to about 30,000 yen per person, totaling 315 people.

The total amount comes to about 9.5 million yen.

Takaichi explained that donations from a political party branch to individual lawmakers do not pose any legal issues.

Opposition lawmakers have voiced concerns, saying that this kind of action breeds distrust in politics, that Takaichi may be becoming overconfident, and that she must be strictly held accountable for providing a full explanation, including the source of the funds.