Approval rating for Japanese PM on decline: poll

Tokyo, Dec 15 (IANS) An approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has been on the decline, the latest poll has shown.

The approval rating dropped 3.5 percentage points from the previous survey in mid-November to 36.5 per cent, with disapproval rising to 43.1 per cent as Ishiba's government faces scepticism over its ability to pass key legislation and budget, Xinhua news agency reported.

In addition, 66 per cent of respondents demanded greater transparency in political fund usage amid ongoing scandals, while 85.5 per cent voiced concerns about misinformation on social media during elections.

The nationwide survey collected responses from 1,056 individuals.

In the month of October, the approval rating for the Cabinet of new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stood at 50.7 per cent. The disapproval rate was 28.9 per cent, according to the poll. When Ishiba's predecessor, Fumio Kishida, launched his Cabinet in October 2021, the approval rate was 55.7 per cent. It stood at 26.1 per cent.

Ishiba was elected prime minister following a slush fund scandal that engulfed the Liberal Democratic Party and damaged public trust in politics. He has vowed to reform the party and has announced plans to hold a general election following the expected dissolution of the ruling coalition-controlled House of Representatives next week.

Recent prime ministers enjoyed higher approval ratings around the time of inauguration, though no simple comparisons are possible due to the use of different polling methods.

The Cabinet of Yoshihide Suga had an approval rating of 66.4 per cent in September 2020, while his predecessor and Japan's longest-serving leader, Shinzo Abe, enjoyed 62.0 per cent support in December 2012 when he returned to power for a second time after a short stint.

A total of 73.0 per cent said they do not expect issues related to the latest political fund scandal to be resolved under Ishiba, compared with 22.8 per cent of respondents who expressed such hope.

Still, 42.3 per cent said they support the LDP, up from 36.7 per cent in August, followed by 11.7 per cent for the CDPJ, down from 12.3 per cent. The Japan Innovation Party ranked third at 5.4 per cent, down from 8.5 per cent.

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