Despite COVID-19 Spread, 80% of Voters Say Japan's Abe Encouraging Travel Was "Premature"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyeon-jin] Despite the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Japan, the domestic travel promotion policy pushed by the Shinzo Abe administration has sparked strong opposition from voters.

Asahi Shimbun announced the results of a survey conducted among voters on the 20th, reporting that 74% of respondents opposed the Japanese government's domestic travel support program, 'Go To Travel.' The survey was conducted over two days, on the 18th and 19th, targeting 2,097 voters within Japan. In a public opinion poll conducted by Nihon Keizai Shimbun and private broadcaster TV Tokyo from the 17th to the 19th, 80% of respondents said that the implementation of Go To Travel was "too soon."

The Abe administration decided to implement the Go To Travel policy from the 22nd, which compensates part of domestic travel expenses with coupons, aiming to revive the economy and stimulate economic activity amid the downturn caused by COVID-19. Although it was announced that the program would be implemented in regions other than Tokyo due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, overwhelming opinions have emerged that this is an inappropriate measure given the ongoing spread.

Fear over the spread of COVID-19 is growing within Japan. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan increased by 511 the previous day, surpassing a cumulative total of 26,000. In Tokyo, the proportion of patients with unknown infection routes has again exceeded 50%. When asked about concerns over the resurgence of COVID-19 in the Asahi survey, 58% of respondents answered "very concerned," an increase of more than 10 percentage points compared to May (45%). Additionally, 65% of respondents said the government should declare a state of emergency again.

Negative evaluations of the Japanese government's response to COVID-19 continue to rise. Asahi Shimbun reported that positive evaluations of the government's response decreased from 38% last month to 32% this month, while negative evaluations reached 57%. Only 24% believed that Prime Minister Abe was demonstrating leadership to curb the spread of COVID-19, falling far short of the 66% who answered that he was "not demonstrating leadership."

The approval rating of the Abe Cabinet was low. According to the Asahi survey, the approval rating was 33%, lower than the 50% who responded that they "do not support" the cabinet. Recent polls by Nihon Keizai Shimbun and Kyodo News also showed approval ratings of 43% and 38.8%, respectively, both below the "do not support" responses (50% and 48.5%).

Opinions that the Tokyo Olympics, postponed to next summer, should be postponed again or canceled reached 61%. In the Nihon Keizai survey, 57% of respondents said there was "no need to rush" the dissolution of the House of Representatives until next fall.

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