The disapproval rate for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet jumped in two media polls conducted over the weekend, amid government struggles to address issues related to the pandemic, the Unification Church and controversy surrounding the state funeral plans for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

A Yomiuri Shimbun poll conducted nationally from Friday to Sunday found that the Cabinet disapproval rating had topped 40% for the first time and now stood at 41%, up 7 percentage points from the previous poll in early August. Compared with the disapproval rate in July, which stood at 24%, the figure represents a rise of 17 percentage points.

However, the approval rating remained basically unchanged at 50%, down from 51% in early August.