Support for Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s Cabinet has fallen to 53%, down five percentage points from last month and the lowest level since the Cabinet was inaugurated last year, according to an NHK poll.
The disapproval rate rose six points to 33%, the survey found.
NHK conducted the telephone survey from Friday to Sunday. Of the 2,925 people aged 18 and above who were randomly contacted, 1,205 responded.
Mixed assessment of earthquake response
The survey also sought public views on the government’s response to the massive earthquake that struck Kumamoto prefecture in southwestern Japan on July 28.
Eleven percent of respondents said they highly valued the government’s response, while 56% said they valued it to some extent.
Meanwhile, 21% said they did not value the response very much, while 6% said they did not value it at all.
Food tax cut receives majority support
The Cabinet recently approved a government plan to reduce the consumption tax rate on food to 1% for two years from April next year.
The plan also includes benefits for low- and middle-income earners, with the aim of effectively reducing their food tax burden to zero.
According to the NHK survey, 49% of respondents supported the policy, while 39% opposed it. Another 12% were undecided or gave no response.
Mixed views on Imperial House Law revision
The Diet has also passed a revised Imperial House Law aimed at securing the number of Imperial family members.
Asked whether they believed the revision had gained public support, 3% said it had gained sufficient support, while 26% said it had gained support to some extent.
Meanwhile, 41% said the revision had not gained much public support, while 23% said it had received no public support.
