TOKYO – Support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet is in free fall, jeopardising his promised “golden era” of policymaking although his tenure is in no immediate risk of a premature end.
Approval ratings plunged to new lows in a series of opinion surveys over the weekend, suggesting that he has all but failed in his attempts at quelling public discontent over a 1.66 billion yen (S$16.4 million) state funeral for the slain former leader Shinzo Abe.
Mr Kishida, who previously acknowledged that his government had not explained itself well enough, sought to stop the rot by convening a televised off-session Diet sitting on Sept 8.
Yet observers said he appeared to have borrowed the playbook of the late Mr Abe in responding to controversy: offering little new and repeating what has already been said, dodging uncomfortable questions, and speaking in parallels of the opposition.
To make matters worse, the eye-popping price tag has been juxtaposed in media with reports of households hurting from inflation and the prospect of imminent tax hikes with Japan’s fiscal health the worst among developed countries.
On Sept 8, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) released results of an internal probe of its enduring ties with the controversial Unification Church but these also failed to win over the public.
The church was once regarded as an “anti-social” group in Japan and is seen as a “cult” by some countries abroad.
While it admitted that 179 of its 379 lawmakers had ties with the church, this was followed by a cascade of revelations, such as how some who claimed to have no connections actually had links. This undermined the probe’s credibility.
In a poll by the Mainichi newspaper, support plunged seven percentage points from last month to 29 per cent. This is below the 30 per cent that is regarded as a “danger zone”, as it historically has meant that the government could face problems in carrying out its political agenda.
And as disapproval climbed by 10 percentage points to 64 per cent, the survey even included a question as to who should be Japan’s next PM. Of the 508 responses, digital minister Taro Kono was top with 87 votes.
The poll also found that 62 per cent were against the state funeral, which will be held on Sept 27 at the Nippon Budokan arena and attended by world leaders.
Mr Abe’s state funeral is being held 81 days after he died at 67 on July 8.
While he was first seen as a martyr for Japanese democracy because he was gunned down at a campaign rally, it later emerged that the suspect’s alleged motives were due to Mr Abe’s supposed ties with the Unification Church.
The suspect Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, now under psychiatric evaluation, has blamed the church for bankrupting and breaking up his family. The ensuing scrutiny into the church and its ties with the LDP has corroded support.
Just 12 per cent in the Mainichi poll said they were convinced by Mr Kishida’s response to the church controversy.
Read More: Japan PM Kishida’s Cabinet approval in free fall over Abe’s state funeral, church links