Japan Suga Cabinet Approval Rating Drops 11%P to 63%... "Aftermath of Academic Conference Personnel Controversy"

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga
[Photo by Reuters]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The approval rating of the Yoshihide Suga Cabinet in Japan has sharply declined just over a month after taking office. Similar results have appeared in most public opinion polls due to the controversy over personnel appointments in the Science Council of Japan.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on the 26th that a public opinion poll conducted from the 23rd to the 25th among 968 voters nationwide aged 18 and over showed the Suga Cabinet's approval rating at 63%, down 11 percentage points compared to last month's survey. The percentage of respondents who said they "do not support" the Suga Cabinet rose by 9 percentage points to 26% during the same period.

The Nihon Keizai explained, "In the second public opinion poll after the launch of a new administration, it is common for the cabinet approval rating to decline," adding, "An analysis of surveys since 2000 shows that the only administrations with rising approval ratings were the Koizumi administration and the second Abe Shinzo administration." The Nihon Keizai also noted, "This decline is the third largest, following the 19 percentage points drop during the Mori Yoshiro administration and the 14 percentage points drop during the Kan Naoto administration."

The sharp drop in the Suga Cabinet's approval rating is interpreted as a result of the controversy over personnel appointments in the Science Council of Japan. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Suga refused to appoint six candidates recommended by the Science Council who had previously expressed opposition to government policies, sparking a debate over "infringement of academic freedom."

In the Nihon Keizai survey, 70% of respondents said that Prime Minister Suga's explanation for not appointing the candidates recommended by the Science Council was "insufficient." Among the ruling Liberal Democratic Party supporters, 67% responded that the explanation was insufficient, and about 90% of the coalition partner Komeito supporters also said the explanation was insufficient.

Previously, the Suga Cabinet's approval rating had also significantly dropped in an Asahi Shimbun public opinion poll. In a survey conducted nationwide among 1,458 voters on the 17th and 18th, the Suga Cabinet's approval rating was recorded at 53%, a sharp decline of 12 percentage points compared to the 65% recorded immediately after the cabinet's launch a month earlier.

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