Takaichi Cabinet Approval Rises to 61 Pct: Jiji Poll

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)--The approval rate for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet increased 1.1 percentage points to 61.0 pct in January from the previous month, a poll conducted by Jiji Press showed Thursday.

The cabinet has been able to maintain its public support rate at around 60 pct since it was launched in October last year.

According to the survey conducted for four days through Monday, the disapproval rate for the cabinet rose 1.5 points to 15.1 pct.

The Chinese government has strongly protested remarks made by Takaichi during a parliamentary meeting on a potential Taiwan contingency. Beijing has put pressure on Tokyo including through increased regulations on Japan-bound shipments of Chinese rare earth minerals. But Takaichi has not changed her stance on the issue.

In the survey, 44.4 pct of respondents said they support the stance the Japanese prime minister has taken toward the Chinese government, while 21.8 pct said that they disapprove.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]