Tokyo, Sept. 17 (Jiji Press)–The public approval rate for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet dropped 4.3 percentage points from the previous month to 44.1 pct in September, hitting the lowest level since she took office last October, a Jiji Press survey showed Thursday. The rate fell for four months in a row. According to the survey, conducted for four days through Monday, the proportion of respondents who did not support the cabinet came to 29.3 pct, up 2.4 points. The survey found that 68.6 pct of respondents opposed Takaichi’s decision to appoint lawmakers involved in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s slush fund scandal to key party or cabinet posts. Only 11.8 pct supported the move. Even among LDP supporters, 53.6 pct expressed opposition, outweighing support. Of all respondents, 59.2 pct backed the idea of passing legislation to reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, during an extraordinary session that may start in early October, while 18.3 pct were opposed. On Aug. 15, when Japan marked its surrender in World War II, Takaichi did not visit war-linked Yasukuni Shrine but instead prayed toward it from a few hundred meters away. A total of 50.9 pct said they thought her action was appropriate, while 26.2 pct said they did not. The survey found Takaichi’s LDP remained most popular, with support from 23.2 pct, down 1.4 points, followed by Komeito, the LDP’s former coalition partner, with 3.2 pct. Support for the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People in the opposition side both stood at 2.8 pct. Sanseito came next at 2.2 pct, followed by the Japan Innovation Party, the LDP’s current coalition partner, at 2.1 pct, the Japan Communist Party at 1.8 pct, Team Mirai at 1.1 pct and the Conservative Party of Japan at 0.5 pct. The Centrist Reform Alliance and Inochi no To, formerly called Reiwa Shinsengumi, each marked 0.4 pct, while the Social Democratic Party received support from 0.3 pct. The proportion of respondents who do not support any particular party stood at 56.7 pct. The results do not reflect the reshuffles of LDP executives on Wednesday and cabinet members on Thursday. The interview survey covered 2,000 people aged 18 or older across the country. Valid responses were given by 57.1 pct. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
