Osaka Governor's Popularity Surges After Criticizing Prime Minister Abe as "Irresponsible"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Osaka Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi, who criticized Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo?whose approval ratings have been declining due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis?as "irresponsible," is gaining popularity.

In a telephone poll conducted on the afternoon of the 6th by Mainichi Shimbun targeting voters aged 18 and older nationwide, Governor Yoshimura was selected as the most positively evaluated politician in response to COVID-19. He received 188 recommendations from respondents, ranking first.

Second place went to Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko, who received support from 59 people. She drew attention by leading the slogan "Stay home," continuously requesting people to refrain from going out and to close businesses to prevent the spread of infection. Only 34 voters recommended Prime Minister Abe. Even combined, Koike and Abe were outpaced by Governor Yoshimura.

Mainichi Shimbun reported that 401 people who responded via mobile phones participated in this question, and analyzed that Governor Yoshimura’s top ranking reflects appreciation for his independent efforts amid criticism of the central government's delayed response. In fact, only 22% of respondents viewed the Abe Cabinet’s response to COVID-19 positively in this survey, while 48% evaluated it negatively.

Earlier, on the night of the 4th, Governor Yoshimura appeared on a private broadcaster and expressed regret over Prime Minister Abe’s failure to present an exit strategy, stating, "Continuing to run through a tunnel with no exit is irresponsible." The following day, on the 5th, he held an Osaka Prefectural Countermeasures Headquarters meeting and established independent criteria to lift requests for activity restraint and business closures if certain infection conditions were met, announcing this as the "Osaka Model."

On the 6th, Japanese media criticized the central government for deciding to extend the state of emergency without presenting a concrete exit strategy and praised the "Osaka Model" in their reports.

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