The latest approval rating for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet fell to 47 percent from 53 percent in the previous poll in November, while the disapproval rating rose to 43 percent from 36 percent, according to a recent Yomiuri Shimbun survey.
The latest nationwide opinion survey was conducted from Friday through Sunday. The previous poll was carried out Nov. 23-25.
Forty-six percent of respondents said they support the government's plan to expand the types of jobs open to foreign workers to include simple labor, while 39 percent said they oppose it.
At the same time, 37 percent said they evaluated favorably the passage of a bill to revise the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law, which will expand the acceptance of foreign workers, in the extraordinary Diet session, while 48 percent said they do not. The extraordinary Diet session ended on Dec. 10.
During Diet deliberations on the bill, the government said it will present details of the new system for accepting foreign workers, including the types of industry open to them and wage levels, after the revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law is enacted.
Asked about this plan, 18 percent of respondents said it "was appropriate" while 65 percent said they think otherwise.
Thirty-six percent said they support the government's policy of moving forward with reclamation work off the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan in the prefecture. Forty-seven present said they oppose it.
Seventy percent of respondents said they feel the effects of economic recovery under the Abe Cabinet, while 22 percent said they do not.
As for political party support, 34 percent selected the Liberal Democratic Party, down from 41 percent in the November survey, followed by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan with 8 percent, up from 7 percent; and Komeito with 4 percent, unchanged from the previous survey.
Forty-six percent said they do not support any party, up from 42 percent.
Asked about planned discussions by the ruling and opposition parties on constitutional amendment at the commissions on the Constitution in both houses of the Diet, 68 percent said they have expectations for the talks, while 24 percent said they do not.
Thirty-six percent said they support Abe's policy of realizing the top law revision and seeking its enforcement in 2020 while 47 percent said they are against it.
The revised Water Supply Law, which is aimed at facilitating the privatization of water supply services, was enacted during the extraordinary Diet session. Sixty percent said they oppose the privatization of water supply services, and 27 percent said they are in favor of it.
South Korea's Supreme Court recently finalized rulings that order Japanese companies to pay compensation to former requisitioned workers and others. In response, the Japanese government lodged a protest against the South Korean side, claiming that the compensation issue has been settled and that the rulings violate international law.
Asked about the Japanese government's response, 86 percent said they support it and 6 percent said they do not.
The survey was conducted by calling 954 households on landline phones and 1,293 mobile phone users, all sampled through the random digit dialing method. All respondents were eligible voters aged 18 or older. Of them, 1,060 people -- 538 on landlines and 522 on mobile phones -- gave valid answers.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
