Angus Reid Public Opinion - Yukio Hatoyama

Naoto Kans Cabinet Chastised by Japanese

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:01:00 +0000

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The appointed cabinet of prime minister Naoto Kan has dramatically lost public backing in Japan, according to a poll by Kyodo News. 36.3 per cent of respondents approve of Kan’s team, down 28.5 points since June.

In August 2009, Japanese voters renewed the House of Representatives. Final results gave the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) a victory with 308 of the 480 lower house seats at stake. Yukio Hatoyama, the DPJ leader, was sworn in as prime minister in September.

Aside from a brief period in the 1990s, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had administered Japan’s government for more than five decades.

On Jun. 2, the DPJ’s Yukio Hatoyama tendered his resignation, citing a broken election promise over the permanence of an American army base in the Okinawa prefecture. Hatoyama had also been embroiled in a corruption scandal over campaign funding irregularities.

On Jun. 8, Kan, a former finance minister, took over as prime minister. Since the retirement of Junichiro Koizumi in September 2006, Japan has had five different heads of government: Shinzo Abe, Yasuo Fukuda and Taro Aso of the LDP; and Hatoyama and Kan of the DPJ.

On Jul. 11, Japanese voters renewed half of the House of Councillors. Final results were disappointing for the governing DPJ. With the support of the People’s New Party (PNP) and an upper house member from the New Party Nippon (NPN) elected in 2007, the DPJ coalition controls 110 of the 242 seats at stake, well short of a majority.

DPJ secretary general Yukio Edano commented on the election results, saying, "There’s no doubt the public has a negative view of us. You can see that in the election results. We think it’s best to humbly accept it and take sincere steps to improve."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Naoto Kan’s cabinet?

	Jul. 2010	Jun. 2010
Approve	36.3%	64.8%
Disapprove	52.2%	23.6%

Source: Kyodo News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,025 Japanese adults, conducted on Jul. 12 and Jul. 13, 2010. No margin of error was provided.

Ruling DPJ Still Strong Before Japanese Ballot

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:01:01 +0000

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) holds a commanding lead over the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) just days before an upper house election takes place in Japan, according to a poll by Mainichi. 40 per cent of respondents would support the DPJ in the proportional representation block of the House of Councillors election.

The LDP is far behind with 17 per cent. 43 per cent of respondents remain undecided or will back other parties.

In August 2009, Japanese voters renewed the House of Representatives. Final results gave the DPJ a victory with 308 of the 480 lower house seats at stake. Yukio Hatoyama, the DPJ leader, was sworn in as prime minister in September.

Aside from a brief period in the 1990s, the LDP had administered Japan’s government for more than five decades.

On Jun. 8, Naoto Kan, a former finance minister, took over as prime minister. Since the retirement of Junichiro Koizumi in September 2006, Japan has had five different heads of government: Shinzo Abe, Yasuo Fukuda and Taro Aso of the LDP; and Hatoyama and Kan of the DPJ.

Kan is calling for fiscal reforms to alleviate Japan’s growing debt, including a proposal to raise the five per cent sales tax. On Jul. 7, the prime minister suggested that his government might look into increasing income taxes as well, declaring, "The income tax has become less effective in terms of income redistribution. Depending on the situation, we might need a debate."

The election to renew half of the seats in Japan’s upper house is scheduled for Jul. 11.

Polling Data

Which party would you vote for in the proportional representation block of the House of Councillors election?

Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)	40%
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)	17%
Other / Undecided	43%

Source: Mainichi
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,089 Japanese adults, conducted on Jun. 27 and Jun. 28, 2010. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Kan Already Facing Negative Trend in Japan

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:01:00 +0000

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Japan’s new administration led by Naoto Kan is already losing public support, according to a poll by Mainichi. 52 per cent of respondents approve of Kan’s appointed cabinet, down 14 points since early June.

Aside from a brief period in the 1990s, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had administered Japan’s government for more than five decades.

On Jun. 27, Kan acknowledged that, if the DPJ coalition with the People’s New Party (PNP) fails to retain its majority in the upper house after this month’s election, the ruling party "would face a difficult situation in managing government," adding, "It would be necessary to have talks with other parties."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Naoto Kan’s cabinet?

	Jun. 28	Jun. 9
Approve	52%	66%
Disapprove	28%	18%

Source: Mainichi
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,089 Japanese adults, conducted on Jun. 27 and Jun. 28, 2010. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Kan Cabinet Backed by Three-in-Five Japanese

admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:01:00 +0000

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The new Prime Minister of Japan begins his tenure with high ratings, according to four recent public opinion polls. At least 60 per cent of respondents approve of Naoto Kan’s cabinet.

Aside from a brief period in the 1990s, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had administered Japan’s government for more than five decades.

On Jun. 2, Hatoyama tendered his resignation, citing a broken election promise over the permanence of an American army base in the Okinawa prefecture. Hatoyama had also been embroiled in a corruption scandal over campaign funding irregularities.

On Jun. 8, former finance minister Kan took over as prime minister. Since the retirement of Junichiro Koizumi in September 2006, Japan has had five different heads of government: Shinzo Abe, Yasuo Fukuda and Taro Aso of the LDP; and Hatoyama and Kan of the DPJ.

On Jun. 11, Kan discussed the state of affairs in Japan, saying, "It is difficult to continue our fiscal policies by heavily relying on the issuance of government bond. Like the confusion in the eurozone triggered by Greece, there is a risk of collapse if we leave the increase of the public debt untouched and then lose the trust of the bond markets."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Naoto Kan’s cabinet?

	Asahi	Yomiuri	Mainichi	Nikkei
Approve	60%	64%	66%	68%
Disapprove	20%	19%	18%	16%

Source: Asahi / Yomiuri / Mainichi / Nikkei
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,088 Japanese adults, 1,090 Japanese adults, 1,034 Japanese adults and 888 Japanese adults, conducted on Jun. 8 and Jun. 9, 2010. Margins of error range from 3 to 4 per cent.

Will Naoto Kan Bring Stability to Japan?

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:01:00 +0000

Gabriela Perdomo – Another year, another Japanese prime minister. It has been almost half a decade since Japan has managed to hold on to a head of government for more than 12 months. The latest to go is Yukio Hatoyama, whose eight-month stint in power ended swiftly but not unexpectedly this week.

A combination of a hard-hit economy, a corruption scandal surrounding the prime minister, and a broken election promise over the permanence of an American army base in the Okinawa prefecture ended Hatoyama’s term prematurely.

Since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi retired in September 2006, Japan has seen four heads of government rise and fall. Shinzo Abe, Yasuo Fukuda and Taro Aso—all from Koizumi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)—not only failed to live up to their predecessor’s legacy but also exacerbated the party’s image as an old, corrupt machine.

Last year, voters turned to the opposition, left-leaning Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) for the first time in five decades. Except for a short period in the 1990s, LDP prime ministers had dominated Japanese politics for that long. The DPJ’s Hatoyama vowed to bring about change, improve quality of life standards, and end with cronyism and corruption in government. His honeymoon with the electorate lasted exactly three months.

Last November, the effects of the global financial downturn began to take a toll on the Hatoyama administration, which was forced to invest close to $80 billion in additional stimulus money to save the sagging economy. Weeks later, Hatoyama was accused of irregularities in his campaign’s funding. He was forced to admit in public that he was getting monthly contributions of about $164,000 U.S. from his mother, and thus that he had avoided taxes that he vowed to repay.

The scandal grew larger when a senior DPJ member and a close ally of the prime minister, Ichiro Ozawa, was also involved in a funding scandal along with three of his aides. Ozawa’s return to the front pages could not have been worse for Hatoyama. Before the 2009 legislative election, Ozawa had resigned as DPJ leader for his links to another corruption case. In other words, Ozawa represented the old political guard that the prime minister campaigned fiercely to replace. Hatoyama had no choice but to defend his political master in public, but signed his own political demise right there.

Just as surveys continued to chastise the prime minister and his cabinet, the last blow to Hatoyama’s leadership came. It was an expected one. His government announced in late May that it would keep an American military base in Okinawa, but at a different location. Furious Okinawans, who believed the prime minister’s previous promises to remove the base from their island territory, responded with protests and calls for Hatoyama to step down. The Social Democratic Party (SDP), a junior partner in the governing coalition, split from the alliance over this issue. Hatoyama stepped down, and Ozawa had to go with him.

The DPJ has already elected a new leader. Naoto Kan, a heavyweight and the country’s finance minister, will not only inherit the inefficiencies of a four-year governing gap and a country that needs immediate attention. He will face a completely disillusioned electorate, too.

The next prime minister—who unlike his predecessors is not associated to a political dynasty—needs to expect unpopularity and the need to make tough decisions. Japan’s heads of government cannot continue to step down as soon as the polls dictate that they have fallen out of favour with the electorate. A man who will cope well with loneliness at the top would be a good start for some much needed stability in Japan.

Japanese Government Cannot Stop Freefall

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:01:01 +0000

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in Japan are decidedly rejecting the government, according to a poll by Asahi. 64 per cent of respondents disapprove of the administration led by prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, up three points since April.

In August 2009, Japanese voters renewed the House of Representatives. Final results gave the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) a victory with 308 of the 480 lower house seats at stake. DPJ leader Hatoyama was sworn in as prime minister in September.

Aside from a brief period in the 1990s, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had administered Japan’s government for more than five decades.

The former LDP-led government was marred by corruptions scandals. The new government has been the subject of suspicions as well.

In December, Hatoyama was criticized after it was revealed that political donations registered under the names of several individuals actually came from his mother. The Japanese prime minister has acknowledged receiving a monthly contribution of about $164,000 U.S. from his mother, but vowed to pay back taxes and penalties amounting to about $6.5 million U.S.

In January, three current and former aides of Ichiro Ozawa, the DPJ’s secretary general, were arrested and charged with falsifying information in party fundraising reports. The three men were identified as Mitsutomo Ikeda, current DPJ lawmaker Tomohiro Ishikawa, and Takanori Okubo.

In late April, a judicial panel decided that Ozawa should be criminally charged over the funding scandal.

Earlier this month, Japanese financial services minister Shizuka Kamei warned that the country will not escape a crisis in Europe sparked by Greece’s ballooning debt, saying, "Japan cannot avoid suffering a [negative] impact."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Yukio Hatoyama’s cabinet?

	May 2010	Apr. 2010
Approve	21%	25%
Disapprove	64%	61%

Source: Asahi
Methodology: Interviews with 2,077 Japanese adults, conducted on May 15 and May 16, 2010. No margin of error was provided.

Japanese Condemn Hatoyama Cabinet

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:01:00 +0000

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The appointed cabinet of Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama is widely disliked, according to a poll by Yomiuri. 67 per cent of respondents disapprove of the sitting administration, up 16 points since April.

In August 2009, Japanese voters renewed the House of Representatives. Final results gave the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) a victory with 308 of the 480 lower house seats at stake. DPJ leader Hatoyama was sworn in as prime minister in September.

Aside from a brief period in the 1990s, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had administered Japan’s government for more than five decades.

The former LDP-led government was marred by corruptions scandals. The new government has been the subject of suspicions as well.

In late April, a judicial panel decided that Ozawa should be criminally charged over the funding scandal.

On Apr. 30, Hatoyama said that Ozawa "should retain his post" as the party’s secretary-general until a mid-term election takes place in July.

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of the performance of Yukio Hatoyama’s cabinet?

	May 2010	Apr. 2010	Jan. 2010	Dec. 2009
Approve	24%	33%	45%	59%
Disapprove	67%	51%	42%	29%

Source: Yomiuri
Methodology: Interviews with 1,125 Japanese adults, conducted from May 7 to May 9, 2010. No margin of error was provided.

Majority in Japan Disapproves of Government

admin — Sun, 02 May 2010 15:01:01 +0000

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Public confidence in the government headed by Yukio Hatoyama has eroded considerably in Japan, according to a poll by Mainichi. 51 per cent of respondents disapprove of the current cabinet, up 34 points since October 2009.

In August 2009, Japanese voters renewed the House of Representatives. Final results gave the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) a victory with 308 of the 480 lower house seats at stake. DPJ leader Hatoyama was sworn in as prime minister in September.

Aside from a brief period in the 1990s, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had administered Japan’s government for more than five decades.

The former LDP-led government was marred by corruptions scandals. The new government has been the subject of suspicions as well.

On Mar. 29, Hatoyama looked back on the first six months of his tenure, declaring, "It’s been half a year since we took power. I think we still have problems as we are inexperienced. But we must not turn back the hands of the clock. I would like to set the hands forward for a great future, so I would like to ask the Japanese people to guide us with patience."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of the performance of Yukio Hatoyama’s cabinet?

	Apr. 2010	Oct. 2009
Approve	33%	72%
Disapprove	51%	17%

Source: Mainichi
Methodology: Interviews with 1,044 Japanese adults, conducted on Apr. 17 and Apr. 18, 2010. No margin of error was provided.

Only A Third of Japanese Content with Cabinet

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:01:00 +0000

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Only a third of people in Japan are satisfied with the performance of the sitting government, according to a poll by Kyodo News. 33 per cent of respondents approve of the cabinet, down three points since March.

In August 2009, Japanese voters renewed the House of Representatives. Final results gave the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) a victory with 308 of the 480 lower house seats at stake. Hatoyama, the DPJ leader, was sworn in as prime minister in September.

Aside from a brief period in the 1990s, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had administered Japan’s government for more than five decades.

The former LDP-led government was marred by corruptions scandals. The new government has been the subject of suspicions as well.

On Apr. 4, former finance minister and LDP member Kaoru Yosano announced plans to form a new political party along with Takeo Hiranuma—who also served as finance minister—and former LDP secretary-general Hiroyuki Sonoda. The name of the new party is Stand Up Japan.

Yosano said he is tired of seeing the LDP’s poor performance in the opposition, declaring, "If things continue as they are, the DPJ will have a majority in both houses of the Diet. Effective criticism in the upper house is vital for Japan’s democracy."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Yukio Hatoyama’s cabinet?

	Apr. 2010	Mar. 2010	Feb. 2010
Approve	33%	36%	37%
Disapprove	50%	49%	46%

Source: Kyodo News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,024 Japanese adults, conducted on Apr. 2 and Mar. 3, 2010. No margin of error was provided.

Over Half of Japanese Disappointed with Government

admin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:01:00 +0000

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in Japan continue to grow dissatisfied with the government led by prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, according to a poll by Nikkei. 57 per cent of respondents disapprove of Hatoyama’s cabinet, up eight points since February.

In August 2009, Japanese voters renewed the House of Representatives. Final results gave the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) a victory with 308 of the 480 lower house seats at stake. Hatoyama, the DPJ leader, was sworn in as prime minister in September.

Aside from a brief period in the 1990s, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had administered Japan’s government for more than five decades.

The former LDP-led government was marred by corruptions scandals. The new government has been the subject of suspicions as well.

On Mar. 29, Hatoyama vowed to continue collaborating "honestly" with authorities investigating the funding scandal involving Ozawa, declaring, "I would like to continue to assume my responsibility for explaining the case whenever necessary."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Yukio Hatoyama’s cabinet?

	Mar. 2010	Feb. 2010	Jan. 2010
Approve	36%	43%	45%
Disapprove	57%	49%	47%

Source: Nikkei
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 954 Japanese adults, conducted from Mar. 26 to Mar. 28, 2010. No margin of error was provided.