Japan PM Takaichi's Support Rate Falls Below 50% for First Time, Kyodo Poll Shows
TOKYO — The approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration fell below 50 percent to 49.1 percent, its lowest level since she took office in October last year, Reuters reported on October 18, citing a Kyodo News poll conducted on October 17 and 18.
The decline might have been affected by Takaichi's slow response surrounding the resignation of farm minister Kazuo Yana, who stepped down on Wednesday after coming under fire for remarks about cutting road funding for municipalities that did not support him. In the poll, 57.7 percent of respondents said Takaichi's decision to replace him came "too late," while 81.5 percent said it was natural for Yana to resign.
Takaichi had appointed Yana in a cabinet reshuffle last month and had openly chided him in parliament over the road-funding remarks, which local media first reported earlier this month.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 日本国会议事堂（东京）。照片：Wikimedia Commons（CC0）。The National Diet Building in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC0).
