Falling into "dangerous waters", Kishida Cabinet's approval rating plummets. Japan | Cabinet | Kishida
Japanese media reported on the 25th that multiple latest poll results show that the support rate for the cabinet led by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has plummeted, hovering around 30%. One of the polls even showed that the support rate for the Kishida cabinet dropped to 28%, falling into a "dangerous waters" of less than 30%.
In Japanese politics, a cabinet approval rate below 30% is seen by public opinion as entering a "dangerous waters"; If it falls further below 20%, it will be considered as falling into the "waters of downfall".
Recently, the results of polls conducted by three major Japanese newspapers and two news agencies on the support rate of the Kishida Cabinet have been released. According to a poll conducted by the Daily News from the 22nd to the 23rd, the support rate for the Kishida Cabinet dropped to 28%, a decrease of 5 percentage points from the previous month, and after 5 months, it fell below 30% again; The disapproval rate is 65%, an increase of 7 percentage points from the previous month. Within two months, the approval rating of the Kishida cabinet has dropped by 17 percentage points.
According to polls conducted by Japan's Jiji News Agency, Kyodo News Agency, and Yomiuri Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun, the latest support rate for the Kishida Cabinet ranges from 30% to 37%, a decrease of 4 to 6 percentage points from the previous survey. According to a survey by Yomiuri Shimbun, the support rate for the Kishida cabinet has dropped to its lowest point since he took office in October 2021.
According to Japanese media analysis, the main reason for this phenomenon is the inadequate response of the Kishida Cabinet to rising prices, coupled with the repeated exposure of problems with its digital identity card system, which has caused public dissatisfaction. In addition, the Kishida Cabinet has recently announced an intention to increase tax burden, causing public concerns about the increased economic burden.
Faced with the latest poll results, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party stated that the cabinet's approval rating is "not as high as the temperature figures", which is chilling.
According to Japanese media, officials from the Liberal Democratic Party are more concerned about a decrease in their own party's support rate compared to the cabinet's support rate. Previously, the support rate of the Liberal Democratic Party was generally maintained at around 30% to 40%. The latest poll by Shiji News Agency shows that the support rate of the Liberal Democratic Party has dropped to 23.6%; The daily news and Asahi Shimbun poll data are 24% and 28%, respectively.
Since last year, there have been numerous scandals in the Kishida Cabinet, with several cabinet members accused of violating political fund usage and campaign activities. Kishida himself has also exposed nearly a hundred "blank invoices" in his political fund income and expenditure report. In May of this year, Shotaro Kishida, the eldest son of Fumio Kishida, was exposed by the media for holding a party at the Prime Minister's residence at the end of last year and taking inappropriate photos with relatives and others imitating the formation of a cabinet. He subsequently resigned from his position as Prime Minister's Secretary.