Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has failed to win public support for his government's plan to provide cash and vouchers to families with children to boost the economy, with nearly 80% of households preferring all-cash handouts, a Kyodo News poll suggested Sunday.
The approval rating for his Cabinet now stands at 60%, down 0.5 point from November, while the disapproval rating fell to 22.7% from 23.0%, according to the survey, which came as the government struggles to prevent the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Kishida is working to revive the pandemic-hit economy with steps such as cash handouts for households, but he has been accused of reversing his position and causing confusion.