THE ASAHI SHIMBUN2009/12/22
The Cabinet's support rate plunged to 48 percent from 62 percent in November, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed, as Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's indecisiveness has increasingly annoyed voters and even government leaders.
The nonsupport rate for the Cabinet rose to 34 percent from 21 percent last month, according to the weekend survey.
Seventy-four percent of all respondents said the prime minister has failed to exercise leadership.
Half of those who do not support the Cabinet said the main reason was Hatoyama's inability to act on his policies.
"We take the figures (in the Asahi survey) seriously and will reflect them in the management of the government," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said Sunday.
Only 18 percent of the respondents said Hatoyama has shown leadership. Some members of his own government are now voicing concerns about Hatoyama's abilities.
"Although the Futenma issue, the budget and financing are all difficult problems, the prime minister could say, 'Here's what we're going to do.' But he doesn't. People are wondering if he is OK," a Cabinet minister said.
The Hatoyama administration took power on Sept. 16 after his his Democratic Party of Japan defeated the Liberal Democratic Party in the Aug. 30 Lower House election.
His administration had received relatively high support rates until now.
LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki, commenting on the plunging support rate, said, "The honeymoon is about to end."
The Asahi Shimbun carried out the telephone survey on Saturday and Sunday and received valid responses from 2,115, or 61 percent, of the 3,465 eligible voters randomly chosen.
Among DPJ supporters, the approval rate for the Cabinet was 84 percent, down from 92 percent in the survey conducted Nov. 14 and 15. Only 13 percent of LDP backers supported the Cabinet, down from 24 percent.
The support rate among unaffiliated voters was 24 percent, compared with a nonsupport rate of 45 percent, marking the first time the nonsupport rate has surpassed the support rate among these voters.
In November, the support rate among unaffiliated voters was 39 percent and the nonsupport rate was 27 percent.
The problem for the Cabinet can be traced to the top. Even among voters who support the Cabinet, only 30 percent said the prime minister has displayed abilities as a leader, while 62 percent said he has failed to do so.
Regarding the DPJ's request last week that Hatoyama revise some of the party's election pledges, including abolishing temporary gasoline taxes and providing child allowances for all households, 50 percent of the respondents said they can understand the move, while 43 percent said they do not.
On the Cabinet's handling of the issue of where to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture, 60 percent gave low marks, compared with 30 percent who thought highly of the government's efforts.
The Cabinet has repeatedly put off a decision on the new site, much to the chagrin of the United States, which insists the air station be relocated to Nago, also in Okinawa Prefecture, as agreed upon in 2006.
Fifty-one percent said the Cabinet acted inappropriately when it asked the Imperial Household Agency to break protocol and arrange a meeting between Emperor Akihito and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on short notice. Thirty-nine percent said the decision was appropriate.
Asked if the scandal over falsified political donations to Hatoyama was grave enough to raise questions on whether he should resign, 50 percent said they do not think so, while 44 percent said it was.
The survey also found that 42 percent of the respondents support the DPJ, down from 46 percent in November, while 18 percent back the LDP, up from 14 percent.
The approval rate for the Cabinet dropped from 71 percent in September to 65 percent in October and 62 percent in November.(IHT/Asahi: December 22,2009)
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