Takaichi Cabinet Approval Falls to 59.3 Pct: Jiji Poll

Tokyo, March 12 (Jiji Press)–The public approval rate for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet dropped 4.5 percentage points from the previous month to 59.3 pct in March, a Jiji Press survey showed Thursday. The rate fell to the lowest level since her inauguration last October, but it remained relatively high after rising to 63.8 pct last month, tying the highest figure since she took office. The March fall followed the revelation that Takaichi, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, distributed gift catalogs to the party’s House of Representatives lawmakers who won Lower House seats in the Feb. 8 general election. According to the March survey, conducted for four days through Monday, both the proportion of respondents who did not support the cabinet and those who did not have a strong opinion on the matter came to 20.3 pct. Among all respondents, 45.7 pct said that the catalog distribution was problematic, while 36.5 pct answered the opposite. Of those who support the Takaichi administration, 33.7 pct said that the distribution was a problem, while 47.8 pct disagreed. The gift catalogs are believed to have cost 10 million yen in total. But Takaichi has said distributing them did not violate law. Deliberations on the fiscal 2026 budget have been delayed because of the Lower House snap election. The LDP and its coalition partner, Japan Innovation Party, are rushing to pass it by reducing time for debates. The Jiji survey found that 44.2 pct said they agree with the idea of passing the budget within this fiscal year ending in March, while 21.1 pct were opposed. Those who said they do not know accounted for 34.7 pct. The public approval rate for the LDP fell 3.2 percentage points to 26.9 pct. The Democratic Party for the People logged 3.8 pct support, up 0.2 point, leading the opposition camp for the first time in 10 months. The Centrist Reform Alliance, which had the biggest support among the opposition camp in the previous survey, this time obtained backing from 3.7 pct, as did Sanseito. Team Mirai marked 3.2 pct, followed by the JIP at 2.4 pct, the Japanese Communist Party at 1.1 pct, the Conservative Party of Japan at 0.9 pct, Komeito and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan at 0.8 pct each, Reiwa Shinsengumi at 0.7 pct and the Social Democratic Party at 0.3 pct. Those who do not support any specific political parties totaled 49.4 pct. The interview survey covered 2,000 people aged 18 or older across the country. Valid responses were given by 57.5 pct. Figures may not add up to 100 pct due to numbers being rounded up. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]