Photo/Illutration Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, speaks to reporters at the Diet on June 10. (Takeshi Iwashita)

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) has reclaimed the top spot among opposition forces as support for the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) continues to tumble, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.

The DPP, which had outpaced the CDP since December, marked its second consecutive month with a single-digit support rate, according to the nationwide telephone survey conducted on June 14 and 15.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party led all parties in terms of support rate, at 23 percent, followed by the CDP at 7 percent and the DPP at 6 percent, the survey showed.

The survey also asked respondents which party they would pick in the proportional representation section of the July 20 Upper House election.

The LDP maintained a clear lead, chosen by 26 percent, followed by the CDP at 12 percent and the DPP at 10 percent.

Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) and Reiwa Shinsengumi were each picked by 7 percent, while Komeito, the LDP’s junior coalition partner, gained 5 percent. Four percent each picked the Japanese Communist Party and Sanseito.

For similar questions in monthly surveys conducted since January, the DPP had peaked at 17 percent in March and April and matched the CDP at 13 percent in the May poll.

The decline in DPP support comes amid public criticism of its handling of a controversial candidacy.

After initially endorsing former Lower House member Shiori Yamao as an Upper House candidate, the party reversed its decision following public backlash over her past misconduct and media reports of an alleged affair.

When asked about the DPP’s handling of the matter, only 24 percent of respondents approved, while 63 percent said they disapproved.

The survey also explored public views on the consumption tax, another issue that will be raised in the Upper House election campaign.

The CDP has vowed to temporarily remove the tax on food items to help the public deal with rising prices. LDP leaders have ruled out tax cuts, citing fiscal responsibility of the government.

A slim majority in the survey, 51 percent, said the tax rate should be lowered, either temporarily or permanently, compared with 41 percent who supported maintaining the current rate.

Support for a tax cut declined by 8 percentage points from April, while support for maintaining the rate increased by 5 points.

The shift was particularly noticeable among respondents aged 70 and older, with 48 percent in this age group now favoring a keeping of the current tax rate, an increase of 14 points since April.

Revenue from the consumption tax, which generally ranges from 8 percent to 10 percent, is used to fund pensions and other social security programs.

Concerns about the impact of a tax cut on social security funding remained largely unchanged.

The survey found that 19 percent of respondents said they felt “strongly” concerned about the potential impact, up by 1 point. Meanwhile, 45 percent said they felt “somewhat” concerned, up 3 points.

The proportion of respondents who were not very concerned about the potential impact decreased by 2 points to 23 percent, while those not concerned at all dropped by 3 points to 10 percent.

The survey on eligible voters used landline and mobile phone numbers randomly generated by computer.

A total of 1,256 valid responses were received: 486 (48 percent response rate) from 1,010 landline numbers of households with an eligible voter, and 770 (38 percent response rate) from 2,008 voters connected via mobile phones.

(This article was compiled from reports by Ryuichi Yamashita and Hiroshi Kimishima.)

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