Support for Japan PM Kishida’s Cabinet slumps: Media polls
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The poll results threaten Mr Kishida's prospects in a general election that may come as soon as the autumn.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO - Support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet slid 12 percentage points to 33 per cent, coming off a peak during a Group of Seven (G-7) leaders summit in Hiroshima, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on Sunday, citing its own poll.
The disapproval rate rose to 58 per cent from 46 per cent in the previous survey in late May.
It followed a scandal involving Mr Kishida’s eldest son
A separate poll conducted by the Kyodo news agency showed on Sunday that support for Mr Kishida’s Cabinet sank to 40.8 per cent from 47 per cent in May.
Approval for the Kishida government had been on the upswing in the run-up to the G-7, reaching the highest level in May since August 2022, Mainichi said. But the poll results threaten his prospects in a general election that may come as soon as the autumn.
Mr Kishida last week shut down speculation of a vote as soon as July by saying he would not dissolve the current session of Parliament for an election.
He has been widely expected to call one by the end of the year, ahead of an announcement on how he will fund plans for a 60 per cent hike in defence spending, which may entail tax increases. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
