Nhk Poll: Disapproval Rate For Kishida Cabinet Surpasses Approval Rate
An NHK opinion poll shows that the disapproval rate for Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's Cabinet has surpassed the approval rate for the first time since the Cabinet's launch last year.
The survey was conducted from Saturday through Monday. More than 1,200 people responded.
The approval rate for Kishida's Cabinet came in at 38 percent, down 2 percentage points from last month. The disapproval rate rose by 3 points, to 43 percent.
Among the respondents who support the Cabinet, 37 percent said it seems better than other lineups, while 28 percent said it consists of political parties they support.
Of those who do not support the Cabinet, 39 percent said it lacks the ability to implement policies, and 37 percent said they do not expect much from its policies.
Regarding last month's state funeral for former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, 33 percent said they approve of it, while 54 percent said they do not.
Asked about why they approve of the funeral, 43 percent said Abe was well-received by the international community, 27 percent said he made major achievements, 16 percent said Abe was the country's longest-serving prime minister, and 10 percent said it was because he was shot to death during an election campaign speech.
Of those who do not support the state funeral, 34 percent said all expenses were paid from state coffers, 25 percent said the funeral was held on ambiguous grounds, 20 percent said it was decided upon without Diet debate, and 18 percent said the evaluation of Abe as a politician has yet to be determined.
Since the shooting of the former prime minister, relations between the religious group previously known as the Unification Church and Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party members have come under the spotlight. The shooting suspect reportedly said he believed Abe was close to the group.
Asked about Kishida's handling of the issue, 2 percent said they rate it highly, while 16 percent approved of it to some extent. But 37 percent said they do not rate his response highly, and 36 percent do not have a positive view at all.
As for the government's measures to tackle price surges, 6 percent said they rate them highly, and 39 percent approved of them to some degree. But 35 percent said they do not rate the measures highly and 12 percent said they do not support them at all.