Only 10 pc want Japanese PM Kishida to stay, reveals a media poll

Tokyo: Only 10.4 per cent of the Japanese public support Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the upcoming ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership race, signaling widespread dissatisfaction, a media poll showed on Sunday.

Conducted by national news agency Kyodo over the weekend, the telephone survey showed Kishida’s Cabinet approval rating at 22.2 per cent, a decline from 24.2 per cent in May, reports Xinhua News Agency.

Meanwhile, the disapproval rate remained steady at 62.4 per cent.

Some 36.6 per cent of respondents called for Kishida’s immediate resignation, while 78.9 per cent felt that a recently revised political funding law fails to address money in politics, despite Kishida’s claims of increased transparency. Opposition parties have criticised the reform as inadequate.

The survey also highlighted public scepticism about the government’s 40,000 yen (about $250) tax cut, with 69.6 per cent believing it insufficient to help households cope with rising costs.

Furthermore, 90.4 per cent of respondents felt that the proposed changes to the reporting of political activity funds were inadequate.

The survey yielded responses from 431 household members and 625 mobile phone users, according to Kyodo.