Takaichi Government Nears First Anniversary with 50% Approval: "Prices a Future Risk"

Asahi Shimbun releases poll results
Cabinet approval flat... resilient despite agriculture minister's gaffe
59% disapprove of measures to address rising prices
Asahi: "Key to gauging future approval ratings"

With the first anniversary of her administration approaching, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet approval rating remained steady at 50%. The rating appears to have been largely unaffected by the recent controversy over the agriculture minister's resignation following a gaffe. However, Japanese media analyzed that public dissatisfaction with the government's response to rising prices is growing, making economic issues a potential factor that could determine the administration's future approval rating.

The Asahi Shimbun reported that 50% of respondents said they supported the Takaichi Cabinet in a telephone poll of 1,108 eligible voters nationwide conducted on October 17 and 18. This was similar to the 51% recorded in the previous poll in September. The disapproval rating edged up from 33% to 35% over the same period.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee at the National Diet in Tokyo on the 14th. Tokyo, Japan = Reuters-Yonhap.

The Takaichi Cabinet's approval rating was 68% when it took office in October last year, but has since fallen by 18 percentage points. However, the Asahi Shimbun noted that it "remains high compared with Cabinets that stayed in power for a long time." Considering that the approval rating was 42% one year after the Koizumi Cabinet took office and 46% one year after the second Abe Cabinet took office, the Takaichi Cabinet's rating remains relatively stable.

The recent controversy over the resignation of former Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Kazuo Yana also appears to have had a limited effect on the Cabinet's approval rating. Yana sparked controversy by saying he had drastically cut road funding for local governments that had not supported him, and ultimately resigned on October 15.

In the poll, 84% of respondents said his remarks were problematic, and 52% gave a negative assessment of Prime Minister Takaichi's handling of the situation. However, 72% said the incident had "not changed" their image of Takaichi. Twenty-two percent said it had "worsened," while only 3% said it had "improved."

The Asahi Shimbun analyzed that the Takaichi Cabinet has maintained a solid support base, particularly among Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) supporters. Since the Cabinet took office, support for the LDP has remained between 29% and 35%, while approval of the Cabinet among LDP supporters has ranged from 80% to 93%. Support among younger people was also relatively strong in this poll, with 57% of respondents aged 18 to 29 backing the Cabinet.

However, the reasons people gave for supporting the Cabinet have shifted. When the Cabinet took office, the most common reason was its "policies," cited by 25% of respondents. In this poll, that figure had fallen to 12%. Meanwhile, the share saying it was "better than the alternatives" rose from 21% when the Cabinet took office to 24%, making it the most common reason.

The government's response to rising prices is seen as a key factor that could determine the Cabinet's future approval rating. In this poll, only 29% of respondents gave a positive assessment of Prime Minister Takaichi's measures to address rising prices. This was down 15 percentage points from 44% in a poll conducted in November last year, shortly after the administration took office. By contrast, 59% gave a negative assessment.

Expectations and concerns were mixed over the government's proposed tax cuts and subsidy measures. Fifty-two percent of respondents supported a bill to cut the consumption tax rate on food to 1% for two years starting in April next year and provide subsidies to low- and middle-income workers, among others. Thirty-eight percent opposed it. However, 75% said the government should specify how it would secure the necessary funding during deliberations on the bill. Only 15% said it was unnecessary to identify the funding source.

The Asahi Shimbun said that "how the Takaichi Cabinet pursues policies directly affecting people's lives, such as measures to address rising prices and the consumption tax, will be a key factor in determining its approval rating."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.