Approval of Takaichi Cabinet Stands at 73%; Yomiuri Survey Finds 6-Point Rise from Previous Poll to Match Record High

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:17 JST, February 20, 2026

The approval rating for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet currently sits at 73%, according to a nationwide poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun from Wednesday through Thursday, following the formation on Wednesday of the second Takaichi Cabinet. This rating was 6 points higher than in the previous poll conducted from Feb. 9 to Feb. 10, bringing it back to a level previously seen in December and tying the highest approval Takaichi’s administration has seen since her first Cabinet was formed in October.

The disapproval rating was 17%, down from 22% in the previous poll. In response to a question about how long they would like Takaichi to remain in office, 52% of the respondents chose “as long as possible,” followed by 33% who said “until September 2027, when her term as president of the Liberal Democratic Party expires.”

Asked why they support this Cabinet, 36% of the respondents cited “high expectations for its policies,” up from 29% in December. The most-chosen reason for disapproving of it was “because it’s an LDP-centered government” at 37%, up from 18%.

Regarding the reappointment of all of Takaichi’s previous ministers to her second Cabinet, 65% said they “approve” while 20% “disapprove.”

Policies presented by Takaichi during the House of Representatives election campaigning and at subsequent press conferences received high approval ratings.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they “expect” to see progress in Diet discussions on amending the Constitution during Takaichi’s tenure, while 37% “do not expect” that.

The prime minister’s policy of seeking to finalize, before summer, an interim plan for cutting the food consumption tax rate to zero for two years was rated by 58% as “appropriate,” while 17% said it was “too late,” and 15% said it was “too early.”

When respondents were asked to choose which of three options they agreed with on married couples’ surnames, 50% chose “maintain the system requiring couples to have the same surname while expanding opportunities to use one’s premarital surname in everyday life.” The same answer was also chosen by the largest share of respondents — 46% — in a poll in February 2025.

Regarding which party the ruling LDP and Japan Innovation Party should cooperate with in the House of Councillors, the top choice was the Democratic Party for the People at 34%, followed by “none in particular” at 17%, Sanseito at 14% and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan at 12%.

Party support rates showed the LDP at 43%, up 3 points from the previous survey. Among opposition parties, Team Mirai led at 6% (previous: 4%), followed by the Centrist Reform Alliance at 5% (previous: 7%), the DPFP at 5% (previous: 5%), Sanseito at 4% (previous: 5%) and the JIP at 3% (previous: 4%). Nonaffiliated voters stood at 24% (previous: 23%).

The survey was conducted on voters aged 18 or older using random-digit dialing, a method in which landline and mobile phone numbers are generated at random by computer.

A total of 954 responses were received. For landlines, 353 people responded from among 659 households confirmed to have eligible voters, and for mobile phones, 601 people responded from among 2,194 people who answered the call. The response rates were 54% for landlines and 27% for mobile phones.