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Track global public opinion on current issues.
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- Yasuo Fukuda
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
More Japanese Disappointed with Government
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The administration of Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda has lost public backing this month, according to a poll by Kyodo News. 35.6 per cent of respondents approve of the work done by the appointed cabinet, down 5.8 points since January.
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.
Fukuda retained many of Abe’s collaborators in the new Japanese cabinet. Nobutaka Machimura—who served as foreign minister under Abe—was appointed as chief cabinet secretary, Masahiko Komura is now in charge of foreign affairs, and Shigeru Ishiba has taken over as defence minister.
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.
Earlier this month, Fukuda ordered the creation of several expert panels that will advise the government on a wide range of issues from consumer protection to social security. On Feb. 8, the prime minister declared: "All of these panels are important. I want them to debate issues that are significant for the public. Many of the issues on the agenda are significant."
Polling Data
Do you approve or disapprove of Yasuo Fukuda’s cabinet?
|
Feb. 2008 |
Jan. 2008 |
Dec. 2007 |
|
|
Approve |
35.6% |
41.4% |
35.3% |
|
Disapprove |
44.5% |
42.8% |
47.6% |
Source: Kyodo News
Methodology: Interviews with 1,017 Japanese adults, conducted on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10, 2008. No margin of error was provided.