Support for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government slid for the second straight month, as the premier struggled to balance controlling the country’s worst-yet coronavirus outbreak with shoring up the economy.
The premier’s support fell 5 percentage points to 58% — a new low — in a survey carried out by the Nikkei newspaper and TV Tokyo between Nov. 27-29. About 48% of respondents said they disapproved of his government’s handling of the virus, up from 35% a month earlier, the survey released Monday showed.
Public approval could play into when he’ll call the next election, which must be held in less than a year, and dictate whether he can parlay his stop-gap position into a longer term in Japan’s top job.