Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has apologised after lawmakers from his ruling coalition visited night clubs despite his government’s call for people to avoid unnecessary outings to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The news is another headache for Suga whose approval rating has tumbled due to dissatisfaction with his handling of the pandemic, which critics have called too slow and inconsistent.

“I’m terribly sorry that this happened when we are asking people not to eat out after 8pm and to avoid non-essential, non-urgent outings,” Suga told parliament.

“Each lawmaker should behave to gain the public’s understanding.”