The approval rate for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's Cabinet fell 7 percentage points from last month to 67% in a survey conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun from Friday to Sunday. The previous poll was conducted from Sept. 19 to Sept. 20.
The disapproval rating for the Cabinet in the latest poll also increased 7 percentage points from last month to 21%.
By age bracket, the approval rating was 78% among respondents aged 18 to 39, up from 76% in September. However, among respondents aged 40 to 59, the approval rating was 68%, down from 74% in September, and among those aged 60 or older, the figure was 58%, down from 74% in September.
With regard to the government's refusal to appoint six scholars to the Science Council of Japan out of 105 nominees recommended by the council, 47% of respondents were not convinced by the government's response, compared to 32% who were convinced.
However, regarding the government's policy of subjecting the science council to administrative reforms and reviewing its organization, 58% of the respondents supported the move, while 26% were against it.
Meanwhile, 68% of respondents approved of the government's policy of abolishing in principle the use of hanko seals in administrative procedures.
With regard to the government's plan to release into the ocean treated radioactive water from the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant that has been diluted with seawater to levels within the national safety standard, 41% agreed with the policy, while 50% disagreed.
The support rate for political parties was 42% for the Liberal Democratic Party, down from 47% in September, and 4% for the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, unchanged from the previous poll. Forty-one percent of respondents supported no political party, 4 percentage points higher than in the previous poll.
56% support coronavirus response
With regard to the novel coronavirus pandemic, 56% of respondents supported the government's response to the crisis, up from 27% in a poll conducted from Aug. 7 to 9, while 37% did not support the response, down from 66% in August.
The same question has appeared in six opinion polls since March this year. The latest result marks the second time that the majority of respondents supported the measures.
By political party, support for the government's coronavirus measures was positive among 69% of respondents who support the ruling parties, up from 45% in August, and 50% among unaffiliated respondents, up from 16% in the August survey. Among those who support the opposition, 66% said they did not support the government's response, compared to 80% in August.
Opinion was split on the government's Go To Travel tourism promotion campaign, with 48% in favor and 44% against.
By age group, 56% of respondents aged 18-39 were in favor of the campaign, while the figure was 51% among those aged 40 to 59. But among respondents aged 60 or older, 48% were against the campaign, compared with 40% in favor of it.
Although the question was different in the survey conducted when the campaign had just started in August, 85% of respondents were against the launch of the campaign, while 10% were in favor of it.
The rise in support for the campaign in the latest survey is thought to be because people have been taking advantage of travel discounts, and the spread of the coronavirus is under control to some extent.
In a question asking which should be the higher priority in the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, infection prevention measures or economic activities, 59% chose infection prevention, 32% selected economic activities, and 5% were unsure. The figures in the previous survey conducted from Sept. 4 to 6 were 56%, 26% and 11%, respectively.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
