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Aso Cabinet Still Unpopular in Japan
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The government of Taro Aso is losing support in Japan, according to a poll by Tokyo Broadcasting System. 47.1 per cent of respondents approve of the prime minister’s appointed cabinet, down four points since September.
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 Taro Aso won an internal leadership ballot and was sworn in as Japan’s new prime minister on Sept. 24.
Earlier this month, Aso announced the implementation of a $20 billion U.S. economic stimulus package designed to help households. Former economy minister Hiroko Otta—who served under Fukuda—criticized the plan, saying, "I don’t think the assistance will be effective, especially considering its size and the fact that it’s a one-off measure."
Polling Data
Do you approve or disapprove of Taro Aso’s cabinet?
|
Nov. 2008 |
Sept. 2008 |
|
|
Approve |
47.1% |
51.1% |
|
Disapprove |
50.6% |
47.5% |
Source: Tokyo Broadcasting System
Methodology: Interviews with 1,208 Japanese adults, conducted on Nov. 8 and Nov. 9, 2008. No margin of error was provided.