Takaichi Cabinet's Approval Rate Slips below 50 Pct for 1st Time: Jiji Poll

Tokyo, July 16 (Jiji Press)--Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet fell by 5.3 percentage points from the previous month to 49.0 pct in July, standing below 50 pct for the first time since she took office in October last year, a Jiji Press survey showed Thursday.

The proportion of respondents who did not support the cabinet stood at 25.2 pct, while 25.7 pct had no opinion, according to the July survey, conducted for four days through Monday.

Opposition parties refused to join parliamentary deliberations at one point during the ongoing Diet session as Takaichi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, tried to force through their key bills, including one to establish a secondary capital.

The latest survey result apparently reflects such Diet management by the government and the ruling parties.

The approval rate fell the most among respondents in their 60s, with their support diving to 39.9 pct from 63.7 pct in June. By contrast, the proportion of respondents in the same age bracket who did not support the cabinet surged to 33.3 pct from 15.1 pct.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]