Shinzō Abe Abe denied the charges, but support for his administration fell below 30% in the polls, the lowest since taking power in 2012. Those who called for him to step down included former prime minister Junichirō Koizumi. The scandal has been referred to as "Abegate". The scandals, while not damaging his political standing permanently, did little good to his image. In July 2018, Abe's public standing was further hit after he held a drinking party with LDP lawmakers during the peak of the disastrous floodings in western Japan. Abe welcomed the 2018 North Korea–United States summit. Shortly after the summit was
Japan–South Korea relations GSOMIA is automatically extended unless either of countries wants it to be demolished. In August 2017, South Korea and Japan decided to renew the agreement. Shinzo Abe, to increase its military profile in the region. Since Lee Myung-bak's visit to the Liancourt Rocks and repeated demands for the emperor to apologize again in 2012, the Japanese public's image of South Korea deteriorated significantly. Japanese tourists to South Korea declined by half from 3.5 million in 2012 to 1.8 million in 2015 while South Korean tourists doubled from 2 million in 2012 to 4 million in 2015. The Diplomatic Blue Book