The approval rate for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet in May rose 4.7 percentage points from the previous month to 38.2%, up for the fourth consecutive month, a Jiji Press survey showed Thursday.
As the disapproval rate dropped 4.5 points to 31.8%, support surpassed disapproval for the first time in nine months, according to the public opinion poll, conducted for four days through Monday.
The rise in support for the Kishida Cabinet followed the government's downgrading of COVID-19 to a lower-risk category of infectious diseases and his trip to South Korea to mend frayed bilateral ties, both of which took place in May.