The approval rate for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet stood at 36.0 percent, the second lowest figure since he returned to power in late 2012, and at a time when he is facing public criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.
The result, down from 38.8 percent a month ago, was released a day before Abe is set to become the nation's longest-serving prime minister in terms of consecutive days in office.
The two-day telephone survey from Saturday found 58.4 percent are not content with the government's handling of the pandemic, while 70.8 percent think Abe should convene an extraordinary parliamentary session as soon as possible, as requested by opposition parties, to discuss measures to stem the spread of the virus.