(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s cabinet approval slipped back to the lowest since he took office, days after he sought to turn the page on a funding scandal by punishing ruling party lawmakers. 

An NHK poll released Monday showed public approval for Kishida’s cabinet had dropped 2 percentage points to 23%, equaling a low hit in December. Respondents indicated they weren’t satisfied with the severity of the penalties the Liberal Democratic Party handed down to lawmakers who failed to declare part of their income.  

Failure to restore support could play into the timing of the next general election, as media including the Yomiuri newspaper report speculation the vote could come in June. No general election need be held until next year. 

Almost two thirds of respondents to NHK’s poll said they were dissatisfied with the penalties incurred by LDP members. Sixty-one percent said they thought the absence of punishment for Kishida himself was inappropriate.

Read more: Kishida Disciplines Japan Lawmakers Caught in Fund Scandal (1)

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