Poll: Approval For Suga Cabinet Falls To 38%
The latest NHK opinion poll suggests that the disapproval rate for the Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide exceeded the approval rate for a second straight month.
NHK conducted the survey over the weekend by calling randomly picked phone numbers of people aged 18 and older. A total of 1,249 people, or 58 percent, responded.
The Cabinet approval rate stood at 38 percent, down by 2 percentage points from January. The disapproval rate was 44 percent, up by 3 points.
Of those who support the Cabinet, 39 percent said it is better than other alternatives, 25 percent said they trust Suga, and 20 percent said it is the Cabinet of the party they support.
Of those who do not support the Cabinet, 34 percent said it has not been getting things done, 33 percent said they don't have high hopes for its policies, and 16 percent said they cannot trust Suga.
Asked if they are worried about themselves or their families getting infected with the coronavirus, 42 percent of the respondents said they are very worried, 41 percent said they are worried to some extent, 11 percent said they are not worried much, and 2 percent said they are not worried at all.
Asked about the government's response to the virus, 4 percent said it is doing a very good job, 40 percent said it is doing fairly well, 39 percent said it is not doing very well, and 14 percent said it is doing badly.
The government is preparing to start administering COVID-19 vaccines in mid-February.
Of those who responded to the survey, 61 percent said they want to get vaccinated, 28 percent said they do not want to, and 12 percent were unsure or declined to answer.
It is less than six months until the start of the Tokyo Olympics, which will be followed by the Paralympic Games. The International Olympic Committee and other organizations are making preparations on the assumption that the events will be held.
Asked about how the Games should be held, 3 percent said they should be carried out in the same way as previous events, 29 percent said the number of spectators should be reduced, 23 percent said there should be no spectators, and 38 percent said the Games should be cancelled.