Support for Japanese cabinet slips to 28%, poll shows

Jun 05, 2023

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his cabinet ministers are led by a shinto priests during a customary New Year's visit at Ise shrine in Ise, central Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo January 4, 2023. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERS/File Photo

TOKYO, July 23 (Reuters) - Public support of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet has fallen nearly 20 percentage points to 28% over the past two months, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on Sunday, citing a poll it conducted.

Kishida, who took office in October 2021, saw his approval plummeting in some polls late last year, battered by revelations of ties between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Unification Church, but numbers began to edge up with a thaw in ties with South Korea and a trip to Ukraine in March.

He got a boost in May when he hosted a G7 leaders' summit in the city of Hiroshima but the cabinet's support has plummeted 17 percentage points since then, to just 28%, dropping below 30% for first time since February, the newspaper said.

Technical problems with a national identity card system is one main issue undermining support, the newspaper said.

The number of people who disapproved of the cabinet rose to 65% from 58% last month, according to the survey carried out this weekend.

Kishida said last month he was ruling out a snap election for now. There is speculation he might call an election towards the end of this year, or before a ruling party leadership race next year.

Some media reported this month Kishida was considering a cabinet reshuffle in September as he tries to halt the downward trend in the polls.

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