(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Public confidence in the government of Yasuo Fukuda increased this month in Japan, according to a poll by Yomiuri. 41.3 per cent of respondents approve of the prime minister’s appointed cabinet, up 14.7 points since mid-July.

In September 2007, Fukuda was elected as the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and officially sworn in as Japan’s prime minister, substituting Shinzo Abe. Fukuda served as chief cabinet secretary during the premierships of Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi. He is also the son of former Japanese head of government Takeo Fukuda.

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.

On Aug. 1, Fukuda enacted a cabinet shuffle. Kaoru Yosano took over as economy minister, and Bunmei Ibuki became the new finance minister. Fukuda vowed to focus on financial matters, declaring, "The economy is facing big confusion. The new cabinet will push for policies so that people can feel their livelihoods are improved."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Yasuo Fukuda’s cabinet?

Source: Yomiuri
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,006 Japanese voters, conducted on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2, 2008. Margin of error was provided.

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