Yomiuri, Waseda Survey: 82％ Dissatisfied with Current Political Climate; Highest Level since 2014

The Yomiuri Shimbun

7:00 JST, January 27, 2025

Over 80% of Japanese people are not satisfied with the political climate since the House of Representatives election in October, according to a recent opinion poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun and Waseda University’s Institute for Advanced Social Sciences.

The percentage — with 82% of respondents either dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied with the current political climate — is the highest among the eight surveys conducted since 2014. Meanwhile, 18% of respondents were at least somewhat satisfied.

The prior highest level of dissatisfaction was 74% in the survey conducted after the 2021 lower house election. The percentage dropped slightly to 71% in the poll conducted after the 2022 House of Councillors election, but it rose by 11 points this time. High prices, as well as politics and money scandals involving Liberal Democratic Party factions, seem to have affected the latest survey results.

Asked about what mattered in the 2024 lower house election, 35% of respondents chose the economy and employment, 14% picked politics and money, 12% said prices and 6% said the social security system.

Meanwhile, 73% said dissolution of LDP factions following violations of the Political Funds Control Law would not help resolve the politics and money problem, far outnumbering the 24% who said it would. Respondents were then asked to choose up to three things needed to solve the problem, with 64% choosing increased transparency by ensuring thorough disclosure of information, 62% saying tightened legal regulations and penalties, and 56% saying improved ethics among politicians.

The ruling coalition parties suffered a crushing defeat in the October election, falling far short of a majority. In the survey, 61% said they do not think the LDP and Komeito should stay in a coalition to hold power in the future, exceeding the 30% who said they think the parties should. Asked about which party the LDP should have as a coalition partner — with multiple answers allowed — 23% chose the Democratic Party for the People, 16% picked the Japan Innovation Party, 12% chose Komeito, 11% chose the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and 47% did not pick any party.

Sixty-eight percent said they think a transfer of power should take place from time to time, while 30% do not think so. When asked if a change of government would occur in the near future, 54% said they did not think it would, while 44% said they thought it would.

As for mergers or coalitions among opposition parties, 57% said it would be better if parties with similar policies join forces, while 35% said it would be better to work together to increase their strength even if they have small disagreements on policy.

The survey asked respondents to rate Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on eight aspects, and his highest percentage, 54%, was for sincerity, followed by 44% for approachability and 42% for his willingness to conduct reform. His lowest rating was 18%, for his sense for international affairs, and his second lowest was 26%, for his leadership.

The survey was conducted by mail from Nov. 25-Dec. 31 among 3,000 voters nationwide, with 1,958, or 65%, responding.