The support rate for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Cabinet is nearly two points higher at 63.7 percent, but its disapproval rate has climbed 2.2 points to 25.1 percent, the results of a weekend survey say.
The support figure is marginally higher than the 61.8 percent logged in the October survey.
According to the nationwide telephone survey conducted Saturday and Sunday, 74.9 percent of the respondents are dissatisfied with Hatoyama's explanations about the political donations scandal he is embroiled in, up 6.9 points from the previous survey.
A total of 77.3 percent said they value the Government Revitalization Unit and its efforts to eliminate wasteful spending. The new unit completed its initial examination of ministry and agency budget requests for fiscal 2010 on Friday.
Critics say the skewed results reflect voters torn between the Cabinet's impressive efforts to rein in bureaucratic power and wasteful spending, and discouraging news about Hatoyama's political funding woes.