Japan Sees Sharp Rise in Negative Evaluations of Government's COVID-19 Response...Discontent with Abe's Leadership Increases

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] It has been revealed that negative opinions regarding the Japanese government's response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) are increasing within Japan. Evaluations of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's leadership have also significantly worsened.

According to a nationwide public opinion survey conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun from the 8th to the 10th, 58% of respondents answered that they "do not evaluate" the Japanese government's COVID-19 response, which is a 19 percentage point increase compared to the 39% who gave the same answer in the March survey. Those who answered that they "evaluate" the response decreased from 53% to 34%. In a similar period, a public opinion survey conducted by Nihon Keizai targeting 1,165 men and women aged 18 and over also showed that 55% answered "do not evaluate" the government's COVID-19 response, an 11 percentage point increase compared to March. The "evaluate" response decreased by 8 percentage points to 38% during the same period.

In Japanese, "evaluate" is used to mean a positive evaluation, while "do not evaluate" implies a negative evaluation. Negative evaluations of the Abe Cabinet's measures have increased significantly compared to positive evaluations.

These evaluations appear to have also affected the assessment of the Abe Cabinet's leadership. In the Nihon Keizai survey, the approval rating of the Abe Cabinet was 49%, similar to 48% in the March survey. However, the proportion of respondents who selected "has leadership" as a reason for supporting the Cabinet (multiple answers allowed) dropped by 6 percentage points compared to before. Among those who do not support the Cabinet, the response "lacks leadership" rose to 35%, a 16 percentage point increase compared to March. This is the highest level since the launch of Abe's second administration.

In the Yomiuri survey, among reasons for not supporting the Cabinet, the response "cannot trust Prime Minister Abe" decreased from 52% in March to 34% in May, while "difficult to expect policies" increased from 18% to 26%, and "lack of the Prime Minister's leadership" rose from 7% to 22%.

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