Support has sunk further for Japan’s embattled ruling coalition, a new poll showed yesterday, after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s party suffered its worst election result in 15 years.
Backing for the government nosedived to 34 percent, while its disapproval rating was 51 percent, the Yomiuri Shimbun survey showed.
The survey showed that 51 percent supported Ishiba’s Cabinet, while 32 percent did not.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Ishiba took office on Oct. 1.
A separate poll by Kyodo News released on Tuesday had 53 percent saying they did not want the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito to stay in power.
Sunday’s snap election left the coalition short of a majority for the first time since 2009 — when it was booted out of power for three years — 18 seats short of the 233 needed.
Ishiba has already indicated he would seek to govern a minority administration and seek approval from other parties to get legislation through parliament.
That expectation was reinforced late on Tuesday when the head of potential kingmaker the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), which has 28 seats, ruled out joining the LDP in a coalition government.
“We will give all of our strength to achieve our policies and we will not join the coalition,” DPP head Yuichiro Tamaki told a news conference.
However, Ishiba is still courting other parties to secure parliamentary approval to remain prime minister in a vote reportedly slated for Nov. 11.
To win their support, analysts said that Ishiba might agree to tax cuts and stimulus spending that the DPP campaigned for in the run-up to the snap election.
Also likely seeking to become prime minister will be Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party, whose seat tally rose from 96 in the last election to 148.
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