Japanese Prime Minister Abe Loses Support Even Among Concrete Core Base

Visible Departure of Voters in Their 30s

▲Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The defection of Japan's concrete support base, voters in their 30s, from the Abe Shinzo administration is becoming visible.

On the 3rd, Asahi Shimbun reported that among the results of 111 opinion polls conducted from December 2012, when Prime Minister Abe was re-elected, until last month, the decline in support for the Abe Cabinet was most prominent among voters aged 30 and under.

The approval rating of the Abe Cabinet among voters in their 30s averaged 38% from January to July this year. This is the lowest level compared to the same period from January to July in each year since Abe's re-election.

In particular, in the May survey this year, the overall approval rating for the Abe Cabinet among all voters was 29%, while for those in their 30s it was 27%, lower than the overall average.

At that time, 45% of voters in their 30s responded that they did not support the Abe Cabinet.

Since Abe's re-election, voters aged 30 and under have driven the overall cabinet approval rating, but it is interpreted that the public sentiment of the younger generation has shifted due to the Japanese government's inadequate response to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

In surveys conducted from February to July this year, an average of 55% of voters in their 30s answered that they did not positively evaluate the Japanese government's response to COVID-19.

Asahi Shimbun assessed that the 30s are a generation actively engaged in childcare and work, and thus are the most sensitive generation to the impacts of COVID-19.

As of last month, combining the Abe Cabinet approval rating (33%) and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's support rate (30%) totals 63%, while the support rate for the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, is 5%. Considering past precedents, even if the House of Representatives is dissolved and a general election is held in the future, the Liberal Democratic Party is still in a position to win. However, the newspaper added that it does not seem easy to decide on dissolving the Diet amid the spread of COVID-19.

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