Abe Pushes Ahead with Japan Self-Defense Forces Dispatch to Middle East... "58.4% of Citizens Oppose"

Prime Minister Abe's Approval Rating Rises to 49.3%

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe [Photo by Reuters]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] A public opinion poll revealed that about 60% of Japanese citizens, representing the majority, oppose the deployment of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to the Middle East.

On the 12th (local time), Japan's Kyodo News conducted a survey from the 11th to 12th targeting voters across Japan, excluding some areas in Fukushima Prefecture. Among the 1,035 respondents, 58.4% opposed the SDF deployment to the Middle East, while only 34.4% supported it.

The Japanese government, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, decided on the 27th of last month to dispatch one Maritime Self-Defense Force escort ship and two P3C patrol aircraft, citing the collection of information to ensure the safety of Japanese-related vessels navigating Middle Eastern waters.

As tensions in the Middle East escalated due to military clashes between the United States and Iran in Iraq, voices demanding the withdrawal of the deployment grew, mainly from opposition parties and civic groups in Japan. However, the Japanese government proceeded with the deployment on the 10th, reasoning that the SDF's operational area is not around Iraq.

In this Kyodo News survey, the Abe administration's approval rating rose by 6.6 percentage points compared to a month ago, reaching 49.3%. The percentage of respondents who disapprove dropped by 6.3 percentage points to 36.7%.

Meanwhile, regarding the controversial "Cherry Blossom Viewing Party," criticized as having degenerated into a personal event for Prime Minister Abe, 86.4% of respondents felt that Abe's explanation was insufficient, indicating significant public distrust surrounding the allegations.

When asked about the preferable timing for an early dissolution of the House of Representatives, whose term ends in October next year, 46.1% chose "after the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics," the highest proportion, while 36.1% mentioned "after next year."

Regarding the ongoing discussions about the merger between the Constitutional Democratic Party and the Democratic Party for the People, 69.3% responded that they "do not expect" much, suggesting a largely negative view of the two opposition parties' unification as a counterbalance to the ruling party.

As for the future outlook of the Japanese economy, 86.2% of respondents expressed feelings of "anxiety" or "somewhat anxious."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.