The approval rating for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet has dropped to its lowest level — 51.0% — from a record high of 63.2% just weeks ago, which comes amid controversy over the proposed state funeral for former leader Shinzo Abe and possible ties between lawmakers and the Unification Church, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.
The survey found 53.3% of respondents opposed the state funeral, while 61.9% said a parliamentary debate on holding the event is necessary.
The dip in the approval rating shown by the two-day nationwide telephone survey this weekend also follows a recent resurgence of new coronavirus cases to record numbers. The current level of support was the lowest the Kishida administration has experienced since its October 2021 launch, with the prime minister's disapproval rating up 7.1 percentage points to 29.5%.