The government and ruling coalition parties are relieved as a recent nationwide opinion poll by The Yomiuri Shimbun reveals that over 50% of respondents support Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s newly launched Cabinet. The Liberal Democratic Party’s support rate has also increased, indicating a positive impact from the lively debates among candidates in the LDP presidential election. However, these figures are not enough to fully celebrate the new Cabinet, causing concern for the upcoming House of Representatives election on October 27.
LDP Policy Research Council Chairperson Itsunori Onodera expressed his determination to restore public trust in politics after seeing the survey results. He acknowledged that while the public has been critical of the party, these results show their hopes for reform. Onodera stated that they will accept these results humbly and focus on political reform and economic pump-priming measures.
Previously, former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet had an approval rating hovering around 20% due to revelations of LDP factions’ violations of political funds control laws and other incidents. However, in this latest survey, the LDP’s support rate increased by 7 points from September, indicating some relief for the party.
Prime Minister Ishiba has consistently ranked high in opinion polls regarding suitability as Japan’s next prime minister. Therefore, this survey is believed to reflect public approval of his victory in the LDP presidential election. The election drew significant attention with a record-high number of nine candidates vying for leadership positions within the party.
Despite dissolving Japan’s lower house only eight days after taking office –the shortest period since World War II– Prime Minister Ishiba intends to participate actively in campaigning to maintain momentum leading up to elections on October 27th.
However, compared with previous cabinets’ approval ratings at their launch, Ishiba’s Cabinet does not have particularly high support rates. Many LDP members doubt it will provide strong tailwinds for lower house elections.
There is ongoing conflict within the LDP ahead of these elections regarding whether or not they should endorse former Abe faction lawmakers who made false entries in political funds reports during a funding scandal involving party factions.
As an “opposition figure within the LDP,” Ishiba has maintained his own positions which have raised public expectations about him. However, he now faces criticism from opposition parties over his decision to dissolve parliament early after emphasizing focusing on Diet debates before doing so.
