The Liberal Democratic Party's lead in voter support over the Democratic Party of Japan is diminishing in the runup to the Sept. 11 election, and the approval rate for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet has edged down, according to a Kyodo News tracking poll taken over the weekend.
The DPJ gained ground in the telephone poll ahead of the start of official campaigning Tuesday, with the gap in support between the two major parties narrowing by about 5 percentage points from the previous poll a week ago.
The Koizumi Cabinet's approval rate fell by 1.7 points to 47.4 percent while disapproval decreased by 0.3 point to 40.9 percent.