About 30 percent the public feels the economy is on the verge of deterioration, up 11.3 points from about a year ago, an opinion poll taken by the Cabinet Office says.
Asked what they perceive as going in a "bad direction," 39 percent of the respondents cited the government's finances and 31.3 percent cited prices — both higher than the previous survey in January 2014 — while 30.3 percent said the economy.
The outcome could be a sign of faltering public expectations toward Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic policies, dubbed "Abenomics," centering on aggressive quantitative easing, massive fiscal spending and vows of structural reform. Abe has been in power since late 2012.
Yet the percentage of respondents pessimistic about the economy was the second-lowest since the 2008 global economic meltdown, possibly suggesting lingering hope of an economic recovery in the longer term.
The interview survey covered 10,000 adults nationwide and drew responses from 60.1 percent. It was conducted between Jan. 15 and Feb. 1, before the annual spring wage talks between companies and labor unions ended.
Asked what they see as heading in a "good direction," the largest group, at 30.1, percent said science and technology, followed by 26.7 percent who chose medical services and welfare, and 21.3 percent who chose disaster prevention.
But only 10.4 percent cited the economy, down 11.6 percentage points from the preceding survey.