July 04, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The appointed cabinet of Shinzo Abe remains unpopular in Japan, according to three recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Yomiuri, 34.4 per cent of respondents approve of the current government, while 51.8 per cent disapprove of it.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The appointed cabinet of Shinzo Abe remains unpopular in Japan, according to three recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Yomiuri, 34.4 per cent of respondents approve of the current government, while 51.8 per cent disapprove of it.

In a study by Mainichi, support for the Japanese cabinet stands at 32 per cent. A poll by Asahi gives Abe's government a 28 per cent approval rating.

In September 2006, Abe became the new leader of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Japan's 90th prime minister. Abe vowed to "make Japan into a country full of vitality, opportunities and kindness."

An election to the upper chamber of Japan's Diet—the House of Councillors—is scheduled for Jul. 29. In March, Abe said he would "go into the elections with the current cabinet." Several cabinet members have been involved in scandals since taking office, including health minister Hakuo Yanagisawa, who publicly called women "birth-giving machines."

On Jul. 3, Abe accepted the resignation of defence minister Fumio Kyuma, who had been criticized after his controversial remarks on the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Kyuma had told a student audience on Jun. 31: "I now have come to accept in my mind that in order to end the war, it could not be helped that an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and that countless numbers of people suffered great tragedy." Kyuma represents one of Nagasaki's constituencies in the House of Representatives.

The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed when two separate nuclear bombs were dropped on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, 1945. At least 100,000 people died in the blasts, and many more over time due to the effects of radiation.

Polling Data

a) Do you approve or disapprove of Shinzo Abe's cabinet?

	Jun. 29	Jun. 7	Mar. 2007
Approve	34.4%	32.9%	43.8%
Disapprove	51.8%	53.7%	43.9%

Source: Yomiuri
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,021 Japanese adults, conducted from Jun. 26 to Jun. 29, 2007. No margin of error was provided.

b) Do you approve or disapprove of Shinzo Abe's cabinet?

	Jul. 1	May 2007	Apr. 2007
Approve	32%	32%	43%
Disapprove	52%	44%	33%

Source: Mainichi
Methodology: Interviews to 1,028 Japanese adults, conducted on Jun. 30 and Jul. 1, 2007. No margin of error was provided.

c) Do you approve or disapprove of Shinzo Abe's cabinet?

	Jul. 1	Jun. 3	May 2007
Approve	28%	30%	36%
Disapprove	48%	49%	42%

Source: Asahi
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,013 Japanese adults, conducted on Jun. 30 and Jul. 1, 2007. No margin of error was provided.