Kishida Cabinet's Approval Rating In The Pits At 29%: Mainichi Poll

The support rate for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida declined to 29% in the latest Mainichi Shimbun opinion poll conducted on Sept. 17 and 18, falling below 30% for the first time since his administration was inaugurated in October 2021, Nanae Ito reported.

Photo Insert: This is the first time the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's rating has fallen below 30% since his administration was inaugurated in October 2021.

The Mainichi Shimbun conducted the nationwide poll together with the Social Survey Research Center. The Cabinet's approval rate has been on a downward trend. The support rate stood at 52% in a survey conducted on July 16 and 17, and 36% in the previous poll on Aug. 20 and 21.

The disapproval rate was 64% in the latest survey -- up 10 percentage points from the 54% recorded in August. Support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) also dropped to 23% -- down 6 points from the 29% in the previous poll. This was the lowest figure since the current survey method was introduced in April 2020.

Meanwhile, 62% of respondents were opposed to holding a state funeral for Abe -- up 9 points from the 53% in the previous survey -- while 27% favored the move -- a decrease of 3 points from the 30% recorded in August. Even among LDP supporters, more than 20% were opposed to the state funeral.

Only 12% of respondents approved of the Kishida administration's response to lawmakers' ties with the Unification Church, far below the 72% who disapproved of it. Sixteen percent of respondents said that they had no opinion on the administration's reaction to the issue.

The LDP recently conducted a probe into the relationship between its lawmakers and the Unification Church. Fourteen percent of respondents said this probe was sufficient, far fewer than the 76% who said it wasn't. Even among LDP supporters, some 50% answered that the probe was insufficient.

On Sept. 8, the LDP announced the results of a survey on the relationship between party members and the church or affiliated groups. A total of 179 LDP lawmakers admitted that they had had some sort of contact.

The survey also questioned respondents on which political parties they supported. Besides the LDP, Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) was supported by 13% of respondents, followed by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan at 10% and the Japanese Communist Party at 5% -- all unchanged from the previous poll.

Reiwa Shinsengumi was supported by 5% (up from 4%), followed by the Democratic Party for the People at 4% (the same as in the previous poll), Komeito at 4% (up from 2%), and Sanseito at 2% (down from 4%).

Twenty-nine percent of respondents did not support any political party (up from 25%).

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