Japan PM approval rating dips below 50% for first time

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet approval rating dropped below 50% in a new poll, with sharp declines among older voters.

TOKYO: Approval ratings for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s conservative government dipped below 50 percent for the first time since coming to power in October in a poll published Thursday.

The Jiji Press survey put backing for Takaichi’s cabinet at 49 percent, with the sharpest drop among voters in their 60s, whose support went from 63.7 percent last month to 39.9 percent.

While supporters still cited the leadership and trustworthiness of Japan’s first woman prime minister, top reasons for disapproval included “cannot hope for much” and “poor policies”.

In February, Takaichi further cemented her power base with a resounding victory in lower house snap elections, in part buoyed by her popularity among young voters charmed by her diplomatic savvy, relatability and the change she symbolised.

But at the same time, her suggestion in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on self-ruled Taiwan has hit Japan’s ties with China, which sees the island as its territory.

And earlier this month a group of nearly 150 Japanese academics petitioned lawmakers over her push for a bill that criminalises the desecration of Japan’s national flag.

Also helping Takaichi has been a slowdown in inflation in recent months, after sharp price rises contributed to the downfall of her two predecessors in quick succession.