The public approval rate for Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's administration is up 1 percent to 33.4 percent but remains far below his disapproval rate of 58.2 percent, according to a Kyodo News poll released Wednesday.
The latest poll, conducted Saturday and Sunday, shows that his disapproval rate declined by 1.7 percent compared with the previous survey, which was carried out in July.
More worrying for the prime minister is the admission by the largest group of people who support him that they do so through default, saying that they back his Cabinet because there are no other suitable politicians to support.