Japan Public Support for Abe Cabinet Edges Up: Press

     TOKYO (MNI) - Japanese public support for the cabinet of Prime Minister

Shinzo Abe edged up by four percentage points to 46% at the weekend, rising from

the level seen in early August after Abe reshuffled the cabinet, the Nikkei

reported Monday.

     The government disapproval rating fell to 46%, down 3 points, according to

the latest survey by the Nikkei and its affiliate TV Tokyo conducted during the

weekend.

     There is speculation that Abe may dissolve the Lower House and call a snap

election this year while the main opposition Democratic Party is still reeling

from the resignation of its leader last month over fading support from voters

and party members.

     Through late July, public support for the Abe cabinet continued to slide

over its handling of several political scandals, casting doubt over his

leadership.

     At the time, the survey by the Nikkei and TV Tokyo showed the approval

rating of the Abe cabinet plunged to 39%, down 10 percentage points from June,

while the disapproval rating rose 10 percentage points to 52%, the highest level

since December 2012 after Abe returned to power by leading the Liberal

Democratic Party to a landslide win in Lower House elections.

     On July 2, the LDP suffered a stinging defeat in Tokyo metropolitan

assembly elections, dealing a blow to Abe, who had already seen public support

for his government slide over a school scandal.

     Opposition parties have charged that Abe showed favoritism to a close

friend over plans to open a veterinary faculty in a special deregulation zone as

part of the government's growth strategy.

     Abe's critics have said he has been too arrogant in policymaking at the

national level on the back of the majority the governing coalition holds in both

chambers of parliament.

     Public anger also grew over a scandal involving the Defense Ministry.

     Defense Minister Tomomi Inada resigned on July 28 over a ministry cover-up

of daily activity logs on peacekeeping operations in South Sudan but denied that

she was directly involved.

     The Defense Ministry initially said the records about Japan's mission in

the African country -- where there was a military clash in July last year -- had

been disposed of. But later it was revealed the daily logs had been stored

digitally.

     The mission is politically sensitive given Japan's pacifist post-war

Constitution, which Abe wants to rewrite to allow the government to send more

troops overseas. The U.S., Japan's close ally, may welcome a more assertive

Japanese role in conflict zones but China and South Korea are wary of any

heavier Japanese military presence due to its war-time aggression in Asia.

     On Aug. 3, Abe reappointed some close allies in a cabinet reshuffle but

also distributed ministerial posts to various factions in the ruling party in a

bid to refresh the image of his scandal-plagued administration and cement his

grip on power.

     The Nikkei-TV Tokyo poll shortly after the cabinet reshuffle showed the

public approval rating of the Abe cabinet picked up slightly from late July.

--MNI Tokyo Bureau; tel: +81 90-2175-0040; email: hiroshi.inoue@marketnews.com

--MNI Tokyo Bureau; tel: +81 90-4670-5309; email: max.sato@marketnews.com

--MNI BEIJING Bureau; +1 202-371-2121; email: john.carter@mni-news.com

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