Kyodo News Survey Conducted on July 21-22
Ishiba Cabinet's Approval Rating Hits Record Low at 22.9%
On July 20, as the ruling party suffered a crushing defeat in the House of Councillors election, it was found that more than half of the Japanese public believe that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba should take responsibility for the outcome. Prime Minister Ishiba's approval rating hit the lowest point since the launch of his cabinet.
Kyodo News reported that, according to a telephone survey conducted from July 21 to July 22 with 1,049 respondents, 51.6% answered that Prime Minister Ishiba should "resign." Meanwhile, 45.8% responded that "resignation is not necessary."
The percentage of respondents who said they support the Ishiba Cabinet was 22.9%, a decrease of 9.6 percentage points from the previous month’s survey. This is the lowest level recorded in Kyodo News surveys since the Ishiba Cabinet was launched in October of last year. The percentage of those who said they do not support the cabinet was 65.8%.
When asked about the desirable form of government, the most common answers were "a new framework of government through political realignment" (36.2%) and "a government formed by the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, and some opposition parties" (28.0%). Regarding regulations on the entry and exit of foreigners and real estate acquisitions, which emerged as key issues in this election, 65.6% responded that such regulations "should be strengthened."
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