Japan Kishida Cabinet Approval Rating Hits New Low Again... Drops 9%p in One Month to 36%

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Photo by EPA Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The approval rating of the cabinet led by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has once again dropped sharply, hitting a record low, Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 7th.

According to a public opinion poll conducted by Yomiuri from the 4th to the 6th, the approval rating of the Kishida cabinet stood at 36%, the lowest since its launch in October last year. This represents a 9 percentage point drop compared to the survey conducted on the 1st and 2nd of last month, marking the largest decline recorded in Yomiuri's polls. In this survey, the proportion of respondents who said they "do not support the Kishida cabinet" was 50%, 4 percentage points higher than the previous month.

The approval rating of the Kishida cabinet had slightly risen or fallen in surveys by other media last month, but Yomiuri's poll showed a clear downward trend again. Yomiuri analyzed that among female voters, the percentage who do not support the Kishida cabinet exceeded the approval rating for the first time, and the decline in support among the younger generation aged 18 to 39 was notable.

The main reasons for not supporting the Kishida cabinet were "no expectations for policies," chosen by 33% of respondents, and "the prime minister lacks leadership," cited by 24%.

The primary reason for the sharp decline in the Kishida cabinet's approval rating is the controversy over the ties between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church). Yomiuri stated, "The challenge Prime Minister Kishida currently faces is dealing with the former Unification Church issue," adding, "The government plans to start an investigation as soon as possible and, if serious legal violations are found, will petition the court for a dissolution order."