Support for Japan PM Kishida jumps, but his govt’s policies still a hard sell: Survey

TOKYO - Support for the government of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida jumped in a survey taken over the weekend, but voters remained dubious about its proposals,

including new childcare plans aimed at reversing the declining birthrate.

Last Saturday,

Mr Kishida was evacuated unhurt

after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan, an incident echoing the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at an election campaign event in July.

A survey conducted by ANN television on Saturday and Sunday found 45.3 per cent of respondents supported Mr Kishida’s government, up 10.2 percentage points from the previous month.

But roughly 80 per cent did not think the government’s childcare plans would do much to solve the low birthrate problem and some 60 per cent disagreed with funding those plans by increasing the burden on taxpayers.

A leading ruling party lawmaker told Reuters on April 13 that Japan should spend around five trillion yen (S$49.7 billion) on the new plan, noting that extra debt issuance will not be ruled out.

Though Mr Kishida struggled with sliding support late in 2022, more recent polls have shown a slight uptick in his ratings. A survey by the Mainichi daily, also conducted over the weekend, found support for Mr Kishida at 36 per cent, up from 33 per cent in March. REUTERS