Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2021 August 11 - 17 TOP3 [POLITICS]

JCP Kokuta comments on record-low approval rating for Suga Cabinet

The approval rating for the Suga Cabinet dropped to a record-low of 29% and the disapproval rating hit a record 52% in an NHK opinion poll survey released on August 10. The support rating for the Liberal Democratic Party-led Cabinet fell below 30% for the first time since the party returned to power in 2012.

On the following day at a press conference in the Diet building, Japanese Communist Party Diet Policy Commission Chair Kokuta Keiji provided his view when asked by reporters about what contributed to the plunge in Prime Minister Suga’s popularity ratings which was shown in many opinion polls including the NHK’s.

Kokuta pointed out, “The Suga government since its inauguration has carried out various anti-people policies as represented by the refusal to accept the Science Council of Japan’s selection of members and the sticking to the ‘Go To’ subsidy projects which run counter to the fight against COVID-19.”

Kokuta said that a sharp drop in public support for the Suga Cabinet indicated that many people have realized the Suga administration’s true nature of not caring about the general public.

In the NHK survey, asked about the government’s handling of the pandemic situation, 61% of respondents did not give a good evaluation, while 35% expressed approval. Regarding a question about the government’s sudden announcement of a new policy of allowing only severe cases to be hospitalized, 52% said they were not convinced of the government’s explanation for this policy. This indicated that people continue to cast critical eyes at the government measures implemented to deal with the pandemic.

Past related articles:
> JCP Koike criticizes gov't decision to review 'Go To' campaigns as too little, too late [November 22, 2020]
> Science Council of Japan president says Suga’s nomination refusal is ‘serious problem’ [October 2, 2020]