Japan's government support hits new low under PM Shigeru Ishiba

Support for Japan's government under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has dropped to its lowest level since he assumed office on October 1, 2024.

The recent public opinion survey reveals that only 27.6 per cent of respondents now approve of the government's performance, a sharp decline from 39.6 per cent in February, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

At the same time, criticism of the government has risen significantly, with 57.8 per cent of respondents expressing dissatisfaction—an increase of 16 percentage points since the last survey in February. The survey comes amid controversy surrounding Ishiba's actions. It was revealed that the Prime Minister, who is also the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), distributed gift certificates worth approximately $670 to LDP lawmakers. 

The move sparked backlash, with 71.6 per cent of survey respondents opposing the practice. Additionally, 78.5 per cent of participants in the survey expressed doubt that the government, led by the LDP, would be able to resolve issues related to politics and money, further highlighting public dissatisfaction with the current administration. 

Throughout 2024, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) faced intense criticism over allegations that some of its factions, including the largest one previously led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, had failed to report portions of their income from fundraising events and had created slush funds.

This growing public discontent with the ruling party undermined trust in the LDP, leading to its overwhelming defeat in the House of Representatives election last October. As a result, Shigeru Ishiba, who had just taken office as Prime Minister, was forced to form a minority government a month after assuming power. 

The nationwide survey, conducted over two days, involved 496 randomly selected households with eligible voters and 3,454 mobile phone numbers. It garnered responses from 423 household members and 623 mobile phone users, excluding areas in Ishikawa Prefecture, which was hit by a powerful earthquake in January of the previous year.

By Naila Huseynova