Shinzo Abe's party flounders as Japan demands answers

June 26 (UPI) -- The ruling party of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may be taking a hit for a series of favoritism scandals, according to a survey of voters conducted jointly by nine news services.

The survey, taken ahead of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election on July 2, shows the ruling Liberal Democratic Party lagging slightly behind the newly formed Tomin First party in most polls, the Mainichi and other newspapers reported Monday.

Tomin First was founded in late May by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, who was formerly a member of Abe's LDP.

Polls taken over the weekend show a slight lead for Koike's party.

The Mainichi survey showed 27 percent of respondents said they preferred Tomin First, while 26 percent said they would vote for candidates from the LDP.

A survey taken by the Yomiuri Shimbun showed 26 percent of those polled supported the new party and 23 percent endorsed Abe's party.

The surveys show a close race could be expected, but it is a major disappointment for Abe, who had been enjoying solid support nationally until a series of scandals involving school operators highlighted what opponents have alleged as corruption.

Kake Gakuen, a school operator that runs the Okayama University of Science, and owned by Kotaro Kake, a close friend of Abe's, has been linked to the zero-cost acquisition of city-owned property.

The prime minister's office may have been involved in what is an illicit deal, leaked documents show.

On Monday, Japan's largest business federation Keidanren criticized the scandals and the lack of satisfactory answers from the prime minister.

"The high rate of approval [for Abe] was overconfidence," said Keidanren's chairman Sadayuki Sakakibara, Kyodo News reported.

"We have not been able to get the response that would earn public understanding," Sakakibara said, referring to the school scandals. "We look forward to a clear explanation."