Abe Cabinet’s Approval Rating Nearly Flat at 42 Pct: Jiji Poll

November 16, 2018

Tokyo--Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet in November stood at 42.3 pct, up a mere 0.4 percentage point from the previous month, a Jiji Press opinion poll found Friday.

The disapproval rating rose 2.1 points to 38.2 pct.

The cabinet has seen a series of scandals and blunders by first-time ministers such as Regional Revitalization Minister Satsuki Katayama and Yoshitaka Sakurada, minister in charge of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

But this did not lead to a decline in public support.

The public may have appreciated Abe's diplomatic efforts, including his official visit to China last month, the first in seven years by a Japanese prime minister.

Of the total respondents, 36.4 pct opposed the government policy of implementing a U.S. base relocation plan in Okinawa Prefecture despite the crushing victory of Denny Tamaki, an anti-U.S. base candidate, in the prefecture's gubernatorial election in September.

Regarding the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in Ginowan to the Henoko coastal district in Nago, 29.0 pct showed support for the government policy, while 34.6 pct said they do not know.

Asked about the government's plan to deploy the Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense equipment, 29.8 pct said the plan should be carried out while 44.0 pct answered the opposite.

On reasons to support the Abe cabinet, with multiple answers allowed, 19.4 pct said there is no other suitable person for prime minister, 10.1 pct said Abe has leadership skills and 9.6 pct said they trust him.

Among those who disapproved of the cabinet, 20.1 pct said they do not trust Abe, 17.0 pct said they have no expectations for the cabinet and 12.7 pct said they do not like its policies.

Public support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party slid 0.9 point to 26.8 pct, and that for the major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan fell 0.2 point to 4.3 pct.

The approval rating stood at 4.0 pct for Komeito, the LDP's junior coalition partner, 2.4 pct for the Japanese Communist Party, 1.0 pct for Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) and 0.6 pct for the Democratic Party for the People.

The share of respondents who do not support any particular party came to 58.3 pct, down 0.9 point.

The interview survey was conducted for four days through Monday with 2,000 people aged 18 or older across Japan. Valid responses came from 60.6 pct. Jiji Press