LDP Support Plummets to 12-Year Low Ahead of House of Councillors Election

24.0%, Down 4.1 Percentage Points from Last Week
A Drop of 7.6 Percentage Points Compared to a Month Ago

According to a recent survey, the approval rating of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has dropped to its lowest level in over 12 years, just ahead of the House of Councillors election scheduled for the 20th.

NHK reported on the 14th that, based on a survey conducted from July 11 to 13 among 1,913 citizens aged 18 and older (based on the number of respondents), the LDP’s approval rating stood at only 24.0%, a decrease of 4.1 percentage points from the previous week.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is giving a speech at a press conference held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News.

This is the lowest level recorded in NHK’s surveys since the LDP regained power from the Democratic Party in December 2012. Compared to about a month ago, the approval rating has dropped by 7.6 percentage points.

Among parties other than the LDP, the approval ratings are as follows: Constitutional Democratic Party (7.8%), Sanseito (5.9%), and Democratic Party for the People (4.9%).

The approval rating for the cabinet led by Shigeru Ishiba is also at 31%, a significant drop from 39% about a month ago. Conversely, the disapproval rating rose from 42% to 53% during the same period. This trend is believed to be influenced by disappointment with the Ishiba cabinet’s response to rising prices, including rice prices, and to the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations.

In fact, in this survey, 63% of respondents said they “do not approve” of the Japanese government’s tariff negotiations with the United States. Only 27% responded positively.