The government's policy of expanding the acceptance of foreign workers to those who engage in relatively simple labor was supported by 51 percent of respondents to a recent poll, surpassing the 39 percent who did not.
By age group, those who backed the policy exceeded those who did not among respondents in their 50s or younger, while the reverse was seen among those in their 60s or older, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun poll conducted Friday through Sunday.
On the other hand, when it comes to accepting immigrants to Japan on the assumption that they will settle in this country, 43 percent supported the idea, while 44 percent said they opposed it.
During this current Diet session, the government plans to submit bills to grant status of residence to foreigners who engage in relatively simple labor, an approach to be limited to sectors beset with serious labor shortages.
The government asserts that these workers differ from immigrants who are allowed to stay for an unspecified period of time.
Meanwhile, the approval rating for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet stood at 49 percent, almost unchanged from the 50 percent in the previous poll, which was conducted Oct. 2-3 soon after his latest reshuffled Cabinet was launched.
The disapproval rating was 41 percent, up from 39 percent.
Abe aims to present his Liberal Democratic Party's draft of constitutional revisions during the current Diet session. This plan was opposed by 47 percent, while 40 percent supported it.
As far as one of the draft's items about the revision of Article 9 designed to establish a provision defining the constitutional grounds for the Self-Defense Forces, 42 percent backed the idea, while 40 percent did not. In a poll conducted from Sept. 21 to 23, 39 percent supported the plan, while 43 percent opposed it.
In the latest poll, 51 percent opposed the planned raising of the consumption tax rate to 10 percent, which is scheduled to be implemented in October next year, while 43 percent supported it. The government will implement economic measures at the time of the tax raise, but 60 percent of respondents said they did not have high expectations, surpassing those who had at 33 percent.
Seventy percent supported the government's aim to raise the continued employment age at companies from 65 to 70.
By party, 37 percent supported the LDP, down from 43 percent in the previous poll, while backing for the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan stood at 5 percent, unchanged from the previous poll. Forty-six percent said they did not support any particular party, up from 42 percent.
Meanwhile, 61 percent supported Abe's diplomacy toward China, while 24 percent said they did not. By party, 77 percent of respondents who said they supported the LDP backed the prime minister's diplomacy with China, while the rating stood at 51 percent among swing voters and 49 percent among respondents who showed support for opposition parties. In all groups, those who supported Abe's China diplomacy exceeded those who did not.
The high support was apparently affected by Abe's official visit to China from Thursday to Saturday, the first time in seven years a Japanese prime minister had made an official visit. During the summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the two leaders confirmed that their countries will elevate the bilateral relationship to a new phase while also strengthening cooperation to realize the denuclearization of North Korea.
The latest poll showed 39 percent said Japan should hold a summit meeting with North Korea as soon as possible, down from 50 percent in the Oct. 2-3 poll. On the other hand, 56 percent, up from 46 percent, said such a meeting should carefully be considered.
The poll was conducted by calling 885 households on landlines and 1,163 mobile phone users, both of whom were sampled using the random digit dialing method. All respondents were eligible voters aged 18 or older. Of them, 1,083 people -- 538 on landlines and 545 on mobile phones -- gave valid answers.
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