Ishiba Cabinet’s Approval Rating Stuck at Low of 31%, with 88% of Japanese People Worried about Trump Tariffs, Survey Says

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:29 JST, April 14, 2025

The approval rating for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet has held steady at 31%, according to a nationwide Yomiuri Shimbun survey conducted from Friday to Sunday. There was no change from the previous survey conducted March 14-16.

Approval remained at its lowest point since the Ishiba Cabinet was inaugurated. The disapproval rating stood at 54%, down four percentage points from 58% in the previous survey.

Asked why they did not support the Cabinet, 35% of respondents said they did not expect much from its policies, up nine points from the previous survey. The figure was at an all-time high for the Cabinet.

Other respondents said they disapproved because the prime minister lacked leadership (19%), or because the administration is led by the Liberal Democratic Party (18%).

Supporters of the Cabinet said there was no other suitable person for the premiership (55%) and the prime minister can be trusted (15%). Another 15% of supporters said they backed the administration because it is led by the LDP.

With U.S. President Donald Trump imposing high tariffs on imports including those from Japan, 88% of respondents said that they were concerned about the duties, while 8% said they were not.

Concerning Japan’s negotiations with the Trump administration over the tariffs, 75% said they did not expect a favorable outcome. That was much higher than the 18% who said they did expect a good outcome.

As to the government’s plan to provide a cash handout to help people cope with the U.S. tariffs and rising prices, 76% said that they did not think it would be effective, while 19% said they thought it would be.

When it came to the government and ruling parties’ handling of the fiscal 2025 budget, which was revised twice to reflect views from the opposition, 49% said they did not approve while 39% said they did.

The LDP drew the support of 28% of respondents, up from 26% in the previous survey.

The survey was conducted by calling 752 home landlines and 1,767 mobile phone numbers selected via random digit dialing. From the numbers called, 1,026 people gave valid answers, with 402 on landlines and 624 on mobile phones. All respondents were eligible voters age 18 or older.