Support for Japanese Cabinet plummets to 28% in just two months

TOKYO – Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet has

fallen by nearly 20 percentage points to 28 per cent

over the past two months, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on Sunday, citing a poll it conducted.

Mr Kishida, who took office in October 2021, saw his approval rating plummet in some polls in late 2022, battered by revelations of

ties between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Unification Church.

But numbers began to edge up with a thaw in ties with South Korea and a trip to Ukraine in March.

He got a boost in May when he hosted a Group of Seven (G-7) leaders’ summit in the city of Hiroshima, but support for his Cabinet has plummeted 17 percentage points since then to just 28 per cent, dropping below 30 per cent for the first time since February, the newspaper said.

Technical problems with a national identity card system is one main issue undermining support, the newspaper said.

The number of people who disapproved of the Cabinet rose to 65 per cent from 58 per cent in June, according to the survey carried out this weekend.

Mr Kishida said in June that he was ruling out a snap election for now. There is speculation he may call an election towards the end of this year, or before a ruling party leadership race in 2024.

Some media reported in July that Mr Kishida was considering a Cabinet reshuffle in September as he tries to halt the downward trend in the polls. REUTERS