Polls Show Slight Slowdown of Takaich Cabinet

Takaichi seems to have gone through this hot summer without obvious loss of her popularity. Polls conducted by news organizations in mid-August showed mostly the same approval rate for Takaichi Cabinet as it had been in the previous month. While she refrained from visiting Yasukuni Shrine on August 15th to avoid accusations from neighbor countries, natural disaster did not damaged Takaichi administration. However, consumption tax cut imposes uneasiness on the people, indicating slight decline in her approval rate.

August is the month when the Japanese people remember the devastation of the World War II on the day of atomic bombing in Hiroshima on 6th and in Nagasaki on 9th, and unconditional surrender with announcement of the Emperor on 15th. Although Takaichi had been advocating prime minister’s visit to Yasukuni on August 15th to comfort souls of war dead, she refrained from it, considering protest from China.

 

33 percent of respondents in the poll of Mainichi Shimbun thought that Takaichi’s decision of not to visit Yasukuni and gave a pray from distant area on August 15th, exceeding 29 percent of them who thought it was inappropriate. Approval occupied a greater share in the poll of Kyodo News with 44.9 percent against 26.7 percent of disapproval. In its poll, support for her speech in war memorial ceremony on the day without “remorse” overwhelmed the negative response with 47.8 percent to 42.6 percent.

 

It was concerned that the earthquake in Kumamoto on July 28th would negatively affect Takaichi’s approval rate. But 57 percent in the poll of Yomiuri Shimbun positively evaluated Takaichi’s response, overwhelming 29 percent of the negative. She visited Kumamoto six days after the earthquake. The people who did not approve that response slightly exceeded who approved with 36 percent and 34 percent. But it was lucky for Takaichi that there was no extremely severe storm causing great number of deaths and large evacuation between late July and mid-August.

 

The approval rate for Takaichi Cabinet showed small decline in the polls of Yomiuri and Kyodo. It downed by 1 percentage point from the previous month to 56 percent in Yomiuri poll and by 3.5 points decline to 50.2 percent in Kyodo poll. Mainichi poll showed no change. But the rate has been gradually declining, marking new lows since she took office in October 2025.

 

The greatest reason is her handling of taxation policy. People are supportive for the policy of reducing consumption tax rate for foods to 1 percent for two years. But they embrace fundamental concern on how to compensate the loss of revenue brought by the tax cut. 61 percent of responders in Yomiuri poll expressed their concern on sustainability of social security system, because they recognized consumption tax as resource of medical care or nursery for aged people. 66 percent in Mainichi poll also demanded Takaichi to explain how to find the fiscal recourse for consumption tax cut.

 

Although Takaichi could avoid rapid decline in approval rate, she is in a trend of slowdown with her insistence on her economic policy.

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