Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a news conference at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Dec. 16. (Koichi Ueda)

The approval rating for the Kishida Cabinet plummeted to a record low of 31 percent as a majority of voters opposed the government’s funding plans for increased defense spending, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.

The rating fell 6 points from 37 percent in the previous survey in November.

The Dec. 17-18 nationwide telephone survey also found the disapproval rating rose from 51 percent in November to 57 percent this month, the highest figure for an administration since Shinzo Abe formed his second Cabinet in 2012.

Respondents were split over Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s policy to expand defense spending, with 46 percent supporting the move and 48 percent opposing the plan.

However, the gap widened considerably over how to cover the additional expenses.

To enhance Japan’s defense capabilities, the government decided to increase defense spending over five years from fiscal 2023 to 43 trillion yen ($313 billion), 1.5 times the current level.

One measure to help cover the rise is to raise tax rates to bring in 1 trillion yen in additional revenue. The survey showed that 66 percent of voters were against this move, significantly higher than the 29 percent who supported it.

In addition, 67 percent opposed the issuance of government bonds to pay for the expanded defense budgets, while 27 percent backed the plan.

Disapproval of the Kishida Cabinet was expressed by 72 percent of those who opposed the increase in defense spending, 70 percent of respondents against the 1-trillion-yen tax hike, and 62 percent of voters against the issuance of government bonds.

Fifty-six percent of respondents support the policy to give the Self-Defense Forces the capability to directly strike enemy bases that are planning to attack Japan, compared with 38 percent who were critical of this new capability.

The approval ratings of the Kishida administration, first formed in October last year, started to slide in summer this year when relations were exposed between lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Unification Church.

Reports showed that many followers and their family members have suffered from severe financial hardship as a result of unscrupulous fundraising practices by the church.

Fifty-eight percent of survey respondents approved the enactment of a new law aimed at providing relief to victims and family members of followers of the Unification Church and other religious groups, while 34 percent did not support the legislation.

However, only 35 percent of all respondents were optimistic that the victims of the Unification Church would receive proper relief under the law, whereas 57 percent were pessimistic.

Asked how long they wanted Kishida to remain as prime minister, 14 percent chose “as long as possible.”

Thirty-three percent picked “until his term as LDP president expires in September 2024” and 17 percent selected “until the G-7 summit in Hiroshima in May next year.”

Thirty-two percent wanted Kishida out of office immediately.

Asked who should be the next prime minister, Taro Kono, minister of digital affairs, was the most popular among the respondents, chosen by 24 percent.

Fifteen percent picked former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, 9 percent went with Sanae Takaichi, minister in charge of economic security, and 6 percent selected Yoshihide Suga, Kishida’s predecessor.

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Toshimitsu Motegi, secretary-general of the LDP, were each chosen by 2 percent of respondents.

However, the biggest portion, 37 percent, said they didn’t want any of those choices to become Japan’s next prime minister.

The survey was conducted by contacting fixed telephone numbers and mobile phone numbers selected at random by computer.

The survey takers received 507 valid responses, or 50 percent, from 1,006 fixed numbers of households with at least one eligible voter each.

There were 850 valid responses, or 41 percent, from 2,049 mobile phone numbers of eligible voters. Valid responses totaled 1,357.

20221219-survey-G-L
The Asahi Shimbun

Related News