Abe's Approval Rating Falls to 29%... 'Lowest Level Since Taking Office'

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's approval rating has dropped to its lowest level since taking office. It is analyzed that the response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and the 'Mahjong scandal' involving former Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office prosecutor Hiromu Kurokawa, who was a leading candidate for the next Prosecutor General, pulled down the approval rating.

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On the 25th, Asahi Shimbun reported that a public opinion poll conducted via landline and mobile phones over two days from the 23rd to the 24th targeting 1,187 voters nationwide showed the Abe Cabinet's approval rating at 29%. This is the lowest level since the Abe administration launched in December 2012. It fell by 4 percentage points from the 33% recorded in the poll conducted on the 16th and 17th of this month. The response of 'do not support' the Abe Cabinet rose by 5 percentage points from the previous survey, reaching 52%.

The response to COVID-19 was cited as a major factor for the decline in approval ratings. In the poll asking about the Japanese government's response to COVID-19, only 30% answered positively with 'evaluate favorably,' while 57% responded negatively with 'do not evaluate favorably.' The proportion of respondents who said their trust in Prime Minister Abe decreased due to COVID-19 was also 48%. Those who said it remained unchanged were 45%, and those who said it increased were 5%.

The resignation of former prosecutor Kurokawa due to the Mahjong scandal also acted as a negative factor for the Abe Cabinet's approval rating. It was revealed through media reports that former prosecutor Kurokawa played Mahjong with reporters on the 1st of this month during the COVID-19 state of emergency period, leading to his resignation. The Japanese government originally extended Kurokawa's retirement, which was supposed to be in February this year, by six months. The prevailing view is that behind this decision was an attempt to control the prosecution through amendments to the Public Prosecutor's Office Act. Regarding the extension of former prosecutor Kurokawa's term, 68% of respondents attributed significant responsibility to Prime Minister Abe.

In a public opinion poll released by Mainichi Shimbun on the 23rd, the Abe Cabinet's approval rating also plummeted. In this survey conducted together with the Saitama University Social Survey Research Center, the Abe Cabinet's approval rating recorded 27%, a sharp drop of 13% from the previous survey (announced on the 6th).

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