Japan Cabinet sees slight increase in approval rating

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:29 JST, December 5, 2022

The approval rating for the Kishida Cabinet has risen to 39%, according to a national survey conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun on Dec. 2-4.

This is an increase of three percentage points from the previous survey on Nov. 4-6. The Cabinet’s rating had previously fallen for five polls in a row since August.

However, 52% of respondents disapproved of the Cabinet, up two points from the previous survey and the highest level since the current Cabinet was formed. The percentage of respondents who chose “other (than approve or disapprove)” or “no answer” both declined from the November poll.

A bill designed to remedy and prevent damage from large donations to religious organizations, spurred by the problems involving the Unification Church, was “rated positively” by 65% of respondents, far higher than the 30% who did not “rate it positively.”

As for the government and the ruling parties’ plan to increase defense spending to more than ¥40 trillion over the next five fiscal years, 51% said they approved and 42% were opposed. Likewise, 51% of respondents approved of the proposal by the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry to allow nuclear power plants to extend their operational periods and to proceed with the rebuilding of nuclear power plants that have been decided to be decommissioned, and 40% opposed it.

Overall, the bills and policies emphasized by the government and the ruling parties appear to have won a certain level of support among the respondents.

In contrast, 64% of respondents said they “do not rate highly” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s handling of the resignation of three Cabinet ministers.

As to whether problems involving the political funds of the prime minister and his Cabinet ministers would impact the future management of his administration, 31% of respondents said it would “to a great extent” and 48% of them said it would “to some extent.”

Asked which party they support, 33% named the Liberal Democratic Party and 6% supported the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Both figures were unchanged from the previous survey.

Those who backed Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) stood at 6%, up one point from the previous survey, while those who supported no particular party accounted for 42%, down from 43%.