The decline in the approval rating of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who has been in power for more than two years, is not unusual. He even brought out the tax cut card, but almost all opinion polls showed the lowest level since taking office in October 2021. Japanese media pointed out that Prime Minister Kishida’s current approval rating is at a dangerous level that could cause him to lose momentum in running state affairs and face the risk of his resignation.
A Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) opinion poll on the 30th showed Prime Minister Kishida’s approval rating at 33%, the lowest since the administration took office in the same survey. It plummeted by 9 percentage points compared to the survey a month ago. In a survey by private broadcasting network ANN the previous day, Prime Minister Kishida’s approval rating hit a low of 26.9%, down 3.8 percentage points from the previous survey. In a survey previously conducted by the Asahi Shimbun on the 14th and 15th, Prime Minister Kishida’s approval rating was 29%, the lowest among Asahi’s regular monthly surveys. It fell by 8 percentage points compared to a month ago. Although the approval rating figures vary depending on the opinion poll, most of the media’s previous surveys have shown that the approval rating has fallen to the lowest level ever since the administration took office.
Prime Minister Kishida’s approval rating has been on the rise this year, receiving positive reviews in the diplomatic field, such as the Korean government’s announcement of the Supreme Court’s ruling on compensation for victims of forced labor (March) and the G7 summit in Hiroshima (May). However, since his approval rating fell due to the controversy over the leak of personal information of the ‘My Number Card’ (electronic resident registration card) that arose immediately after the G7 summit, he has not been able to seize a clear opportunity to turn around.
In particular, tax issues have been a problem recently. On the 20th, two days before the National Assembly by-election, Prime Minister Kishida ordered the Liberal Democratic Party to review the income tax reduction policy. However, as criticism emerged that it was a ‘popularity-driven policy’, it only produced side effects. Moreover, the Japanese government announced last year that it would raise taxes to secure a significantly increased defense budget, leading to criticism within the party that there is a conflict between tax cuts and tax increase policies.
There are predictions that an approval rating of around 30% could jeopardize the existence of the Kishida administration. Nikkei pointed out, “After 2000, the approval rating fell to the mid-30%, and the regime faced a crossroads, including resignation.” Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, immediately preceding Prime Minister Kishida, resigned from his position as Prime Minister and did not run in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election when his approval rating fell to 34%.
Prime Minister Kishida’s term ends in September next year, but in Japan’s parliamentary system, he can step down at any time regardless of his term of office. However, there is currently no notable candidate for the next prime minister from the Liberal Democratic Party, and the opposition party is unable to gain enough support to oppose the Liberal Democratic Party, so there are some predictions that the ‘low-flying approval rating’ will continue while Prime Minister Kishida remains in office.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.