TOKYO: The approval rate for Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio’s cabinet slid 4.9 percentage points from the previous month to 27.4 pct this month, slipping below 30 pct for the first time, a Jiji Press public opinion survey showed Thursday.

The approval rate hit the worst level since Kishida launched his cabinet in October last year and even fell below the lowest figure for his predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, at 29.0 pct in August last year.

A Japanese cabinet is said to be in a “danger zone” if its approval rate stands below the 30 pct mark.

In the October poll, conducted for four days through Monday, the disapproval rate for the Kishida cabinet grew 3.0 points to 43.0 pct, exceeding approval for the second consecutive month, with the margin expanding from 7.7 points to 15.6 points.

The tumbling support for Kishida is believed to reflect strong public criticisms over his administration’s response to rising prices, last month’s state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and ties between lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the controversial religious group formerly known as the Unification Church.

JIJI Press