59% of Japanese Voters Say "Olympics Should Be Canceled"... Cabinet Approval Rating Also Plummets

68% Negative on COVID-19 Response... Dissatisfaction Peaks
Top Candidate for Next Prime Minister is Kono Taro with 23% Support

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] With just over two months remaining until the Tokyo Olympics, public opinion in Japan shows that nearly 60% believe the Olympics should be canceled altogether. Responses indicating that the Japanese government's COVID-19 response has been inadequate also reached record highs, suggesting that public dissatisfaction has peaked.

According to a telephone survey conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun from the 7th to the 9th, polling 1,092 Japanese voters, 59% of respondents said the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics should be canceled. Opinions favoring holding the games without spectators accounted for 23%, while those supporting holding the games with a limited number of spectators were only 16%. The dominant view is that it is too risky to forcibly hold the Olympics amid the severe COVID-19 situation.

Negative evaluations of the Japanese government's COVID-19 response were overwhelming at 68%. Positive evaluations stood at 23%, down 12 percentage points from last month's survey and the lowest since a survey conducted in February last year. The government's failure to implement firm preventive measures despite the spread of COVID-19 is analyzed as having driven voter dissatisfaction to its peak. The approval rating of the Yoshihide Suga Cabinet also fell by 4 percentage points from last month to 43%. Those who do not support the Suga Cabinet increased by 6 percentage points to 46%, surpassing the approval rating.

Regarding the most suitable candidate for the next prime minister, Administrative Reform Minister Taro Kono ranked first with 23% support. Former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba came in second with 19%, Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi third with 13%, and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fourth with 11%. Prime Minister Suga ranked fifth with 4%.

However, 70% responded positively to Prime Minister Suga’s stance highlighted during last month’s summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, emphasizing cooperation between the U.S. and Japan to counter China. Regarding whether Japan should exercise collective self-defense rights in the event of a Taiwan contingency, 47% supported it, while 41% opposed.

Meanwhile, concerning the plan to dilute and release radioactive contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, 51% gave a positive evaluation, while 40% gave a negative evaluation.

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