7 out of 10 Japanese Citizens Do Not Want Trump Re-elected as US President

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] A survey revealed that 7 out of 10 Japanese citizens do not want U.S. President Donald Trump to be re-elected. Although Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has a close relationship with President Trump, some critics argue that Trump makes many demands on Japan and treats the alliance lightly.

According to a survey released on the 27th by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, 72% of 992 Japanese voters aged 18 and older responded that they "do not want" President Trump to be re-elected in the upcoming U.S. presidential election in November. Only 18% of respondents wished for Trump's re-election success.

Prime Minister Abe has maintained a close relationship with President Trump whenever possible. In May last year, following Emperor Naruhito's ascension, Trump visited Japan as the first state guest and often held golf meetings with Abe during their encounters. However, as the U.S. increased its demands on Japan regarding trade and security issues, criticism has also followed.

The approval rating for the Abe Cabinet was recorded at 48% in this survey, similar to the previous month. However, the percentage of those who "do not support" rose by 4 percentage points to 45%. Breaking it down by age, the approval rating for the Abe Cabinet was highest among those aged 17-39 at 58%, followed by 52% for those in their 40s and 50s, and 40% for those aged 60 and above. It was found that younger generations tend to support the Abe Cabinet more. By gender, 54% of men supported the cabinet, compared to 40% of women.

The support rate for the Liberal Democratic Party was 45%, while 30% responded that they did not support any party. Among opposition parties, the Constitutional Democratic Party received the highest support at 10%.

The policy area where expectations for Prime Minister Abe were highest was social security at 47%, followed by economic recovery (40%), securing fiscal soundness (31%), and diplomacy and security (30%).

The survey also covered major issues within Japan. Regarding the Abe government's decision to dispatch the Maritime Self-Defense Force to the Middle East, 58% evaluated it positively. On the discussion of constitutional revision, 73% agreed that each party should conduct concrete discussions, while 22% responded that there was no need for such discussions.

Regarding the timing of the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the general election, 35% said it should be "next year," and another 35% said it should be "between this fall and the end of the year." Those who said it should happen before this summer accounted for 17%, and 12% said they did not know.

As for the person to succeed Prime Minister Abe, former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba ranked highest with 25%. Abe himself rose 2 percentage points from 15% in a survey conducted a month ago, moving from third to second place. Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who was second in the previous survey, saw his support rate plummet by 6 percentage points to 11%, dropping to third place.

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