Support for Japan’s Kishida falls to lowest since he took office

TOKYO – Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida fell in a major poll to its lowest since he took office, with rising prices and

mistrust over the roll out of a national ID card

helping to push down his rating.

A survey carried out by the Yomiuri newspaper and broadcaster NNN between July 21 to 23 found approval had sagged to 35 per cent, the weakest since Mr Kishida won the election in October 2021.

In a separate poll by the Mainichi newspaper released late on Sunday,

his support fell to 28 per cent,

below the 30 per cent line often seen as the danger zone for Japanese leaders.  

Mr Kishida is reported to be mulling over reshuffling his Cabinet in the coming weeks in a bid to shore up public support and help him retain control of his long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party, just over a year before his term as party leader ends.

His falling support means he would probably have little to gain by calling a general election before the end of the year, as had at one time been expected.  

While the premier came to office pledging to improve incomes, some 79 per cent of respondents to the Yomiuri survey said they did not have a positive opinion of the government’s efforts to ease the effects of price rises by providing subsidies. 

Private sector members of an advisory panel to Mr Kishida last week urged the government to phase out its price relief package and focus support on those with low incomes.

The proposal came as Japan’s inflation accelerated slightly in June, although economists forecast a slowdown in the coming months. 

Meanwhile, a series of blunders in the introduction of the national ID card has undermined public faith in a move meant to streamline access to healthcare, improve monitoring of tax payments as well as government handouts.

The troubles have included people who have found their ID cards linked to personal information about unrelated individuals.

The Yomiuri poll showed 58 per cent of respondents were against the use of the ID card for healthcare access. Almost 80 per cent said they did not believe a government review currently under way would resolve the problems with the system. 

The government’s handling of a plan to release treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant into the ocean has also come in for criticism, with 53 per cent of respondents to the Mainichi survey saying there had not been enough explanation of the release.

The Mainichi poll was conducted from July 22 until 23. BLOOMBERG