Yomiuri Poll Confirms Erosion Of Support For Kishida Cabinet

Opponents of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's administration outnumbered its supporters in the latest Yomiuri opinion poll amid controversies surrounding the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's ties with the Unification Church and the state funeral for ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

• The approval rating of the Kishida Cabinet fell to 45% in a poll conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun over the weekend from 45% in a survey taken a month ago. The disapproval rating rose to 46% from 41% previously, exceeding the approval rating for the first time.
• The LDP remained the most popular political party, its support rate was steady at 40%. The Constitutional Democratic Party remained on 5%, while the Japan Restoration Party came third with 5% (down 1pp).
• The results of the survey reflect dynamics that have clearly shown in a suite of recent opinion polls by other major pollsters. Support for the Prime Minister sits at its worst levels since the inauguration of Kishida's Cabinet.
• A separate poll by Asahi Shimbun further highlighted headwinds to the ruling party posed by the current economic circumstances, as 70% of respondents said they were feeling the burden of rising prices, while 71% deemed Kishida's response insufficient.