Nationwide support for Prime Minister (PM) Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet sank to a low of 14% after polls conducted by Mainichi Shimbun on February 17th and 18th.
The number has fallen 7% since the last survey taken on January 27th and 28th. The number sank below 20% in December 2023, making this the second time this has occurred. The first time occurred in 2009, when former PM Taro Aso’s cabinet had an approval rating of 11%.
Disapproval ratings climbed to 82%, which is up 10 points from the last poll, making it the first time rates have exceeded 80% since 1947. Approval for Kishida’s cabinet began to decline around June 2023 due to several issues involving “My Number” national I.D. cards.
In November 2023, a slush fund scandal that involved the current ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had grown worse and led to another severe decline in approval ratings.
Results were obtained through notifications sent out via text and phone calls to landlines and cell phones, receiving around 453 responses from cellular devices and 571 from landlines.
