Japan Cabinet Approval Rating Falls to 50% in Kyodo Poll

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga saw his cabinet’s approval rating fall more than 12 percentage points from the previous month as his government struggled to handle another wave of coronavirus infections, according to a Kyodo poll.

Support for Suga’s cabinet fell to 50.3% from 63% the previous month, according to the survey conducted between Dec. 5 and 6 and published on Sunday. The disapproval rating rose 13.6 points to 32.8%, according to Kyodo.

About 56% of respondents said the government’s handling of the coronavirus is unfavorable, with almost half saying the “Go To Travel” subsidy campaign should be suspended, it said.

Japan is facing another wave of coronavirus cases as it heads into winter, with the number of serious infections rising in cities such as Tokyo. While the government hasn’t halted the GoTo campaign on a national scale, Suga has asked those who are 65 years or older, and those with underlying conditions to refrain from participating.

The government will boost the amount of subsidies for hospitals and do its best to prepare the healthcare system to deal with the pandemic by working with prefectural governors, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said in an NHK television program on Sunday. He acknowledged that virus surges are a putting severe strain on hospitals in some areas.

About 76% of respondents said they prefer infection controls to be prioritized over economic activities, Kyodo reported.

The survey also found that 77% are dissatisfied with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s explanation on the allegation that his office had illegally paid for dinner parties with political funds. The suspicion also engulfs Suga, who was one of Abe’s closest aides until the premier stepped down in September.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.