Public support for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet inched up 1.4 percentage points from the previous month to 28.2% in January, a Jiji Press opinion poll showed Thursday.

The approval rate for the Ishiba Cabinet was still below 30%, remaining in what is known as the "danger zone." The disapproval rate fell 1.0 point to 40.3%.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party for the People led the opposition camp in public support for the first time in the January poll.

When asked about the reasons for supporting the Ishiba Cabinet, 11.4% of respondents, the largest group, said that there is no one else suitable to be prime minister.

On the other hand, the most common reasons for disapproving of the Cabinet were that it is not promising, cited by 22.9%, and that Ishiba lacks leadership, cited by 15.8%.

By political party, support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party stood at 17.3%, down 1.8 points. Regarding the LDP's donation of ¥800 million to a social welfare organization, only 5.8% said they recognized that the move put an end to a high-profile political funds scandal involving LDP factions, while 74.2% said they did not.

Support for the DPP rose 0.9 point to 6.6%, surpassing the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's 5.1%.

Support for Komeito, the LDP's coalition partner, was 3.6%, followed by 2.8% for Nippon Ishin no Kai, 1.7% for Reiwa Shinsengumi, 1.4% for the Japanese Communist Party, 0.5% for the Conservative Party of Japan and 0.3% each for Sanseito and the Social Democratic Party.

The latest Jiji Press poll also asked respondents about the proposed revision of the minimum annual taxable income, currently set at ¥1.03 million, which is expected to be a focal point of this year's ordinary Diet session that begins on Jan. 24.

In response, 36.5% said that the threshold should be raised to ¥1.78 million, as sought by the DPP, while 15.3% said that the new line should be drawn at ¥1.23 million, as proposed by the LDP and Komeito. Around ¥1.50 million was backed by 24.3%, while 9.8% were in favor of maintaining the current threshold.

Another key issue in the Diet session is expected to be whether Japan should introduce a selective dual-surname system for married couples.

In the poll, 28.2% supported such a system, while 30.8% said that Japan should maintain the current single-surname system. Meanwhile, 33.0% called for expanded use of maiden names.

As for donations from companies and other organizations to political parties, 33.4% said such donations should be banned, while 7.0% supported the status quo. Meanwhile, 42.5% said that while there is no need to ban such donations, it is necessary to improve transparency.

The interview survey was conducted over four days through Monday, covering 2,000 people aged 18 and older across the country. Valid responses came from 59.0%.