TOKYO: Public support for Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio’s cabinet edged up to 18.7% in May, a Jiji Press opinion poll showed Thursday.

The approval rate rose 2.1 percentage points from April, when it hit the lowest level since he took office in October 2021.

The disapproval rate for the Kishida cabinet fell 3.8 points to 55.6%, while 25.8% of respondents said they “do not know.”

The poll found that 72.9% do not support Kishida’s handling of the high-profile slush fund scandal involving factions of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, including a plan to revise the political funds control law. Only 8.7% said they support Kishida over the matter.

The results suggest that members of the public remain frustrated at the money scandal although the prime minister has stressed his achievements in areas including diplomacy.

JIJI Press