Kishida Cabinet Approval Rating at 41%... Lowest Level Since Inauguration

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The approval rating of the Kishida Cabinet in Japan has fallen to its lowest level since its inception.

According to a nationwide public opinion survey conducted by Asahi Shimbun over two days on the 10th and 11th, the approval rating of the Kishida Cabinet was 41%, down 6 percentage points from last month.

This figure marks a sharp decline for the second consecutive month, following a 10 percentage point plunge compared to the previous month's survey results.

In this survey, the percentage of respondents who do not support the Kishida Cabinet was 47%, surpassing those who do support it for the first time.

Regarding Prime Minister Kishida's explanation of the state funeral for former Prime Minister Abe, 64% of respondents answered that they "cannot accept" it.

Amid growing public opposition, Prime Minister Kishida appeared before the National Diet on the 8th and explained that the decision for the state funeral was based on Abe's record as the longest-serving prime minister in Japan's constitutional history.

The Japanese government initially disclosed the state funeral costs as 250 million yen (approximately 2.4 billion won), excluding security and hospitality expenses for foreign guests, but when all costs are combined, the total rises significantly to 1.66 billion yen (approximately 16.1 billion won), fueling public backlash.

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