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The approval rating for the Liberal Democratic Party plummeted from 24 percent in May to 19 percent, its lowest level as a ruling party this century, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.

It is the first time for the LDP, when in power, to have a support rating below 20 percent since April 2001, when the current survey method was introduced, according to the nationwide telephone survey conducted on June 15-16.

The previous lowest rating during this period was 20 percent recorded at the end of Taro Aso’s administration in 2009, just before the LDP was ousted from power.

The survey showed a continuing slide in popularity for not only Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s party but also his administration.

The approval rating for the Kishida Cabinet was 22 percent, down 2 percentage points from the previous month and the lowest level since he took office in October 2021. The disapproval rating was 64 percent, up 2 points.

An overwhelming 84 percent of respondents said the LDP can’t change its culture of political fund scandals, a stark contrast to the 12 percent who believe it can.

The percentage of unaffiliated voters reached as high as 60 percent, showing that no specific party has gained the support that the LDP lost.

The support rate for the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan increased 2 points to 8 percent, while Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) received 3 percent support, down 1 point.

For the LDP’s junior coalition partner, Komeito, and the Japanese Communist Party, their support rates both remained flat at 3 percent.

The figures for the Democratic Party for the People and Reiwa Shinsengumi also remained unchanged at 2 percent.

Respondents were also asked which party they would choose in the proportional representation segment if a Lower House election were held now.

Twenty-four percent picked the LDP, down 2 points, followed by the CDP at 19 percent, up 4 points.

Ten percent said they would vote for Nippon Ishin, down 2 points, while Koemeito received 6 percent support, up 1 point.

Support for the Communist Party and Reiwa Shinsengumi remained unchanged at 5 percent, while the figure for DPP also stayed flat at 4 percent.

The survey using randomly generated phone numbers yielded 1,012 valid responses, including 390 on landlines and 622 on mobile phones. The valid response rates were 45 percent for landlines and 39 percent for mobile phones.

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