Poll: Takaichi Cabinet Support Falls 11.2 Points to 47.1% Amid Farm Minister Resignation
Support for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet fell 11.2 percentage points to 47.1 percent, with disapproval rising to 36.9 percent, according to an opinion poll released on Oct. 19 by Japan's ANN network. The survey was conducted Oct. 17-18, and the drop is widely attributed to the sudden resignation of the farm minister and concerns over the government's response to rising prices. Asked who would be best suited to succeed Takaichi as prime minister, respondents named figures including former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former minister Takayuki Kobayashi. Takaichi became Japan's first female prime minister in October 2025, with approval initially above 60 percent, but it has slid amid cabinet personnel turmoil and opposition pressure in parliament. The poll landed as the U.S.-Japan 'Keen Sword' exercises began and the autumn parliamentary session approaches, putting the ruling coalition's management of the Diet and budget deliberations in focus. Polls by Kyodo News and the Yomiuri Shimbun are also due, and analysts will watch whether the trend is consistent.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：东京国会议事堂（资料图）。そらみみ (Soramimi) 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，取自维基共享资源。Photo: National Diet Building, Tokyo (file photo). By そらみみ (Soramimi), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
