LDP Maintains Lead In Opinion Polls But Many Voters Are Undecided

A couple of opinion polls circulated over the weekend suggested that the LDP still enjoys the backing of a solid plurality of voters, although many remain undecided. Elsewhere, the latest approval rating of the Kishida Cabinet supported the view that the new Premier is starting off a lower base than his predecessors.

• Kyodo published the results of a survey conducted on Saturday and Sunday in which 29.6% of respondents said they indented to vote for the LDP in the upcoming general election, with 9.7% indicating preference for the main opposition CDP. As many as 39.4% of respondents said that they were unsure who to vote for. The approval rating for the Kishida Cabinet registered at 55.9%.
• In an opinion poll conducted by Yomiuri on Thursday and Friday, 44% of respondents said they wanted to vote for the LDP, while 12% suggested they would back the CDP, with 19% were undecided. The approval rating of the Kishida Cabinet slipped 4pp to 52%.
• Just ahead of the weekend, Jiji published their first opinion survey on cabinet approval since the inauguration of the Kishida administration. The rate of support for the new Premier stood at 40.3%, which was lower than Abe's (54.0%) and Suga's (51.2%) initial results, reinforcing the view that Kishida is off to a relatively difficult start.
• Leaders of Japan's main parties clashed in an online debate Sunday on how to revitalise domestic economy as it emerges from the pandemic of Covid-19. PM Kishida outlined his flagship concept of "new capitalism," stressing the need to rebuild the middle class. Opposition leader Edano signalled CDP's plan to raise tax on financial income, should they win the election, a measure which Kishida has effectively shelved for now.