Off the wire
• Kenyan woman abducted by Somali pirates freed  • 2 militants killed, 8 soldiers wounded in clashes with Islamic fighters in southern Philippines  • Vietnam says its first microcephaly case much likely caused by Zika  • Weather information for Asia-Pacific cities  • Cambodian court temporarily detains man posting to Facebook death threat against PM  • Boiler explosion kills 4, injures 11 in Vietnam  • Interview: Dutch agri-food expert sees great potential for potato production in China  • Bale signs new Madrid contract  • PLO says Russia bids for Abbas, Netanyahu meeting  • 1st LD Writethru: Iceland's ruling coalition fails to win majority in parliamentary election  
You are here: 　 Home

Support rate in Japan for Abe's Cabinet drops amid myriad public concerns

Xinhua, October 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

The support rate in Japan for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has dropped in nationwide poll amid issues pertaining to a possible extension to Abe's term and a new mission for the Self-Defense Forces, local media reported Sunday.

According to a nationwide telephone survey conducted by Kyodo News on Saturday and Sunday, the approval rating of Abe's Cabinet stood at 53.9 percent, dropping from 55.7 percent in a poll taken in September, while the disapproval rate jumped 3.2 points to 33.2 percent.

Of concern to the public, according to the survey, was a potential extension in Abe's leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), with the LDP looking to possibly change its rules to allow Abe's presidency to run for a third successive, three-year term, meaning the extension of his role as prime minister.

According to the poll, the majority of those surveyed maintained that the plan was not a good idea, with 51.8 percent saying it would be better for the ruling party to not change its rules. Under the current LDP rules, Abe's second term will run through September 2018 and is not allowed to run for another term.

Regarding the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) possibly being deployed for new U.N. peacekeeping missions under controversial new security laws that came into effect in March this year, in contravention of Japan's pacifist constitution, the public also voiced their opposition.

With the new roles potentially including the SDF being deployed to rescue U.N. peacekeeping officials who are under armed attack, 57.4 percent of those polled said they were opposed to giving the SDF such a role.

Japan is constitutionally bound to not maintain any means of war potential, or use force as means of settling international disputes. Japan's Constitution also decrees that the people of Japan forever renounce war.

As for the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which has also been a source of public concern, as various sensitive sectors, particularly agriculture, could be negatively impacted if tariffs are lifted, 66.5 percent of those asked said that there was no hurry in ratifying the deal during the current Diet session and that the Diet should "proceed carefully". Enditem