Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Public support rate of Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio’s cabinet improved 6 points to 61 percent of the respondents to a Nikkei-TV Tokyo survey that showed 27 percent disapproved of the cabinet — down 4 points.

The poll, conducted by telephone over the weekend, found that 67 percent of the Japanese surveyed supported Kishida’s handling of the Ukraine war, while 22 percent disapproved of it.

The survey showed a significant approval for Kishida’s COVID-19 response, or 64 percent of respondents. The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in Japan helped increase the cabinet’s popularity.

38 percent of participants said Kishida should prioritize economic recovery and health care, followed by 29 percent who said Kishida should focus on diplomacy and security — up 7 points since January, the month before Russia invaded Ukraine, according to Nikkei.

When asked why they support the government, 33 percent, the highest, said “confidence in character.” Those against the cabinet, or 34 percent, said their biggest reason for not supporting was “lack of leadership.

While 24 percent of respondents didn’t support any political party, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party was the most popular political party at 49 percent. The Japan Innovation Party ranked second at 7 percent, while the Constitutional Democratic Party third at 6 percent.