According to the most recent poll conducted by Nikkei and TV Tokyo, the popularity rating of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet has reached a new nadir, standing at 30%. This figure represents a decline of 3 percentage points compared to the last poll conducted in October.
Kishida's current approval rating, standing at 30%, represents the nadir of his tenure as the incumbent, which commenced in October 2021. Additionally, this is the lowest figure observed since the Liberal Democratic Party, under the leadership of Shinzo Abe during his second term as prime minister, regained control in 2012.
The percentage of respondents who expressed dissatisfaction with the government increased by 3 points compared to the previous month's poll, reaching 62%. This is the highest disapproval rating recorded since the return of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The primary factor contributing to the disapproval of the cabinet was identified as poor policies, accounting for 50% of the respondents' dissatisfaction. This was closely followed by a perceived lack of effective leadership, which constituted 36% of the reasons cited.
Of those in favor, 36% cited the LDP-centered cabinet lineup as a contributing factor. The percentage of trustworthiness observed was 23%.
In terms of policy goals for the prime minister, the primary concern identified by respondents was the mitigation of inflation, which garnered a majority response of 40%. Following closely behind, with a significant proportion of 35%, was the broader focus on the whole economy. The allocation of resources for child care, education, and birthrate initiatives accounted for 33% of the total expenditure.
