Kishida Cabinet Approval Rating Falls To Lowest Since Launch
An NHK opinion poll suggests that the approval rating for Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's Cabinet has fallen to 46 percent, the lowest since its launch in October.
NHK conducted the telephone survey on 2,577 randomly chosen citizens aged 18 or older from Friday through Sunday. About 1,200 people responded.
The support rate fell by 13 points from the previous survey conducted three weeks ago. The disapproval rating rose 7 points to 28 percent.
Asked about their assessment of the government's responses to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 60 percent rated the responses positively, while less than 40 percent had a negative view.
Regarding the state funeral planned on September 27 for former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, who was fatally shot last month, 36 percent said they approve, while 50 percent said they don't.
The shooting suspect has reportedly said he believed that Abe was close to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, a religious group formerly known as the Unification Church. He blames the group for bankrupting his family.
Since the incident, relations between the church and the political world have been under the spotlight.
Asked whether political parties and lawmakers have given adequate explanations of their ties with the group, 4 percent said they think so. But 82 percent said the explanations are insufficient.