(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Taro Aso’s cabinet has seen a considerable plunge in support in Japan, according to a poll by Nikkei. 31 per cent of respondents approve of the prime minister’s appointed cabinet, down 17 points since October.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Taro Aso’s cabinet has seen a considerable plunge in support in Japan, according to a poll by Nikkei. 31 per cent of respondents approve of the prime minister’s appointed cabinet, down 17 points since October.
Aside from a brief period in the 1990s, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has administered Japan’s government for more than five decades. An election to renew half of the House of Councillors seats took place in July 2007. Final results gave the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) 60 of the 121 seats at stake, with the governing LDP winning 37 mandates. The opposition—with 137 seats—now holds a majority in the upper house of Japan’s Diet for the first time since the LDP was founded in 1955.
Since the retirement of Junichiro Koizumi, Japan has had three different LDP leaders and prime ministers. Shinzo Abe served from September 2006 to September 2007, and was replaced by Yasuo Fukuda.
On Sept. 1, Fukuda announced he would step down as he felt "swamped" by the country’s issues. Foreign minister Aso won an internal leadership ballot and was sworn in as Japan’s new prime minister on Sept. 24.
Last month, Aso was forced to publicly apologize after he appeared to blame the country’s aging population for Japan’s debt problems. The prime minister declared: "Why do I need to pay the [medical costs] for [sick elderly patients] who don’t do anything, who just sit there eating and drinking? (…) I walk every day and do other things. But I’m paying more taxes."
On Nov. 28, during his first parliamentary debate after taking office, Aso reacted to the ongoing economic crisis and the possibility of an upcoming election in Japan, saying "The world is at a stage where a harsh storm seen only once in 100 years is raging. As everyone in the world is making desperate efforts to tackle the situation, there is no time for a political vacuum."
Polling Data
Do you approve or disapprove of Taro Aso’s cabinet?
|
Nov. 2008 |
Oct. 2008 |
|
|
Approve |
31% |
48% |
|
Disapprove |
62% |
43% |
Source: Nikkei
Methodology: Interviews with 930 Japanese adults, conducted on Nov., 29 and Nov. 30, 2008. No margin of error was provided.
