Japan Kishida Cabinet Approval Rating Hits New Low Again... Asahi Reports "First Drop Below 40% Since Inauguration"

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
[Photo by Reuters]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The approval rating of the Japanese cabinet led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida continues to hit record lows.

Asahi Shimbun reported on the 14th that a telephone survey conducted from the 12th to 13th showed the Kishida cabinet's approval rating dropped 3 percentage points from the previous month to 37%. This is the first time since the cabinet's launch in October last year that the approval rating has fallen below 40% in Asahi's surveys.

The percentage of respondents who answered that they "do not support" the Kishida cabinet also reached a record high of 51% since the cabinet's inception. This figure sharply increased after the attack on former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July. The rate was 25% in July, rose to 39% in August, surpassed the approval rating in September, and has remained in the 50% range for two consecutive months since October.

When asked whether Prime Minister Kishida is demonstrating leadership, 69% responded negatively, far exceeding the 24% who answered affirmatively.

The Kishida cabinet's approval rating continues to decline due to controversies over ties between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church), as well as a series of gaffes by cabinet members. Justice Minister Hanashi Yasuhiro was effectively dismissed on the 11th after making remarks that seemed to belittle his duties by describing them as "simply stamping executions." Earlier, on the 24th of last month, Economic Revitalization Minister Yamagawa Daishiro resigned after confirmed connections with the Unification Church.

Earlier, a Yomiuri Shimbun survey conducted from the 4th to 6th of this month also showed the Kishida cabinet's approval rating at 36%, down 9 percentage points from the previous month's survey, marking the lowest since its launch.