OMM Newsroom
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s approval rating has fallen below 50% for the first time since she took office in October last year. AnewZ reported the results of a Kyodo News poll published on Sunday, amid criticism of her handling of a scandal involving a former agriculture minister.
Support for Takaichi’s cabinet stood at 49.1% in the poll conducted on October 17 and 18. Some 57.7% of respondents said the prime minister was slow to replace Agriculture Minister Kazuo Yana, who resigned on Wednesday. Meanwhile, 81.5% of those surveyed said they considered Yana’s resignation appropriate.
Yana, appointed during a Cabinet reshuffle in September, came under fire earlier this month after local media reported that he had proposed reducing road funding for municipalities that did not support him. Opposition lawmakers questioned whether public funds were being used for political purposes.
Takaichi publicly reprimanded Yana in parliament before accepting his resignation. When stepping down, Yana said he wanted to prevent the dispute from disrupting parliamentary debate and distracting from policies on agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
The scandal has raised questions about Takaichi’s choices in selecting ministers and the response of senior officials to violations of the law. The poll does not establish that the scandal was the sole cause of the decline, but the fall marks a setback for the prime minister before she completes her first year in office.
