Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide’s approval ratings continued to drop this week with a Mainichi Shimbun poll showing only 26% of voters back the current government.

In an opinion poll conducted on August 28, Suga’s approval rating was down four points from the previous survey on July 17, setting a new low. The disapproval rating was 66%, an increase of four points and the prime minister’s worst ever showing.

In the fight against the coronavirus, only 14% approved of the Suga administration’s performance, a drop of five points. Japan’s infection rate has seen a massive increase in the last month. Some 70% said they were worried about the healthcare system in Japan collapsing. COVID-19 patients are being asked to stay at home and not visit hospitals, while some of those infected have been turned away from hospitals. Nearly half the respondents blamed the government for the increase in infections.

The only ray of hope for the beleaguered prime minister is that his Liberal Democratic Party is still ahead in the polls, thanks mainly to a fractured opposition. The LDP had the backing of 26%, while the closest opposition was the Constitutional Democratic Party (10%) and Nippon Ishin no Kai (8%).