A nationwide survey over the weekend shows the approval rating for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet is essentially holding level at 44.5 percent while again being surpassed by the disapproval rating, which rose 2.9 points to 46.1 percent.

According to the Kyodo News poll conducted Saturday and Sunday, the Cabinet's approval rating edged up just 0.1 point from August but was eclipsed by the disapproval rating for the first time since July.

In July, scandals pushed the Cabinet's approval rating down to 35.8 percent, the lowest since Abe began his second stint as prime minister in 2012. The disapproval rating had soared to 53.1 percent at the time.