Support rate for Japan PM Takaichi’s Cabinet dips to 67.5%: Kyodo poll
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A majority of respondents said Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi's remarks on a Taiwan contingency, which have strained ties with China, have affected Japan’s economy.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO - The approval rating for the Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has dipped to 67.5 per cent, with a majority of respondents saying that her remarks on a Taiwan contingency
Still, 57 per cent said they do not consider Ms Takaichi’s remarks to be careless. Sino-Japanese ties have deteriorated since she said in Parliament on Nov 7 that an attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan.
Her remarks have been interpreted as suggesting the potential involvement of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces in support of the United States in responding to such a scenario.
The two-day telephone poll, conducted from Dec 20, found that the Cabinet’s approval rating fell by 2.4 percentage points from November’s survey.
Meanwhile, 64.6 per cent of respondents said they are increasingly worried about the nation’s fiscal health following the enactment on Dec 16 of an 18.3 trillion yen (S$150 billion) supplementary budget for the current fiscal year ending March 2026.
The Government plans to issue 11.7 trillion yen in new bonds to cover more than 60 per cent of the total.
Regarding the Government’s scheme to hand out “rice vouchers” under an inflation-relief programme, 82.4 per cent said they see the impact of this step as being small in combatting surging prices.
On the other hand, 64.1 per cent had a good assessment of a recent agreement between Ms Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party for the People regarding the tax reform plan for fiscal 2026.
Under their deal, the tax-free annual income threshold will be raised from the current 1.60 million yen to 1.78 million yen.
By political party, support stood at 31.1 per cent for the LDP, 7.8 per cent for the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, 7.8 per cent for the Democratic Party for the People and 8.0 per cent for the Japan Innovation Party.
Asked about having the DPP join the ruling coalition, 49.2 per cent of respondents expressed their support, against 40.0 per cent opposed it.
A total of 491 randomly selected households with eligible voters and 3,040 mobile phone numbers were called for the survey, yielding responses from 420 household members and 620 mobile phone users. KYODO NEWS
