An NHK opinion poll shows the approval rate for Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s Cabinet rose by 4 percentage points from the previous month to 25 percent. The disapproval rate fell by 3 points to 57 percent.
NHK conducted the phone survey over three days from Friday. More than 1,200 people responded.
Among those who support the Cabinet, 45 percent said it seems better than possible alternatives, 20 percent said it is made up of political parties they support, and 16 percent expressed trust in Kishida.
Of those who disapprove, 43 percent said they have low expectations for the Cabinet’s policies, 24 percent said the Cabinet lacks the ability to implement policies, and 12 percent said they do not trust the prime minister.
The Cabinet’s approval rating has hovered between 20 and 30 percent for nine months. The rate among supporters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party was 49 percent in the latest survey, down by 3 points from June. This figure dropped below 50 percent for the first time since December 2012, when the LDP returned to power.
The approval rate among LDP supporters stood at 73 percent in October 2021, when Kishida’s Cabinet was launched. Since November 2023, the figure has been around 50 percent.
The Diet enacted a bill in June to revise the political funds control law. The changes include tightened penalties for lawmakers who violate the rules and measures for more transparency over political funds.
Asked about whether the revision is effective in preventing problems linked to political funds, 3 percent said it is highly effective, 26 percent said it is effective to some extent, 34 percent said it is not so adequate, and 28 percent said it is not adequate at all.
In the campaign for Tokyo’s gubernatorial election, the same posters were put up in several places on one bulletin board, while some posters carried irrelevant information, such as the names of people who did not run in the election and the name of an adult entertainment shop.
On whether the law stipulating election campaigns should be reviewed, 78 percent called for a review and 12 percent said it is not necessary.
Asked about the timing of the dissolution of the Lower House and a general election with three timeframes given, 43 percent said they should come by the year end, 17 percent cited early next year, and 28 percent called for them to happen shortly before the end of the lawmakers’ term in October next year.
The government says a recent examination on the public pension shows that although future benefit levels will be lower than the current level, the outlook has improved from the previous report five years ago.
In regards to the pension benefit’s future, 2 percent said they feel safe, 12 percent said they feel somewhat safe, 33 percent said they are somewhat worried, and 47 percent said they are worried.
The issue about immigrants is a focal point in the US presidential election and the parliamentary election in France.
Asked if they support the idea of accepting more foreign workers in Japan, 15 percent of respondents supported it, 40 percent said they are inclined to support it, 22 percent said they are inclined to oppose it, and 14 percent opposed it.
In some Western countries, public divisions are widening amid the immigration issue, the economic gap and other reasons.
On the issue of polarization, 30 percent said they are very worried, 44 percent said they are worried to some extent, 14 percent said they are not so worried, and 4 percent said they are not worried at all.