Poll finds Abe’s approval down before snap election

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The disapproval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration exceeded the rating in favor of him, a survey by Kyodo News Agency showed, underscoring the headwind Abe faces as a new party challenges his ruling bloc in the October 22 elections.

About 1,030 candidates will run for the 465 seats. Abe called for the elections, hoping to keep his Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition's majority in Parliament's Lower House, where it had a two-thirds majority before dissolution.

But his bet now looks increasingly shaky, given growing support for popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's new Party Of Hope and the opposition Democratic Party's move to join hands with her party.

Reuters Photo

In the survey conducted on September 30 and October 1, 46.2 percent of respondents said they did not support Abe's administration, exceeding the 40.6 percent who expressed support.

When asked whether they favored Abe or Koike as the next prime minister, 45.9 percent chose Abe while 33 per cent picked Koike.

Campaigning for the general election will kick off on October 10.

A Yomiuri Shimbun survey showed that 34 percent of respondents said they would vote for Abe's LDP. / source: The Yomiuri Shimbun

Last week, Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun conducted a nationwide survey, with 34 percent of respondents saying they would vote for Abe’s LDP, while 19 percent said they would vote for the Kibo no To party.

Source(s): Reuters