With media polls showing approval ratings for the Cabinet falling from over 70 percent upon its inauguration four months ago to the lower 40 percent level, the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears to be at a crossroads.
The plummeting popularity may be ascribed largely to failures in Abe's selection of Cabinet ministers and party executives. He appointed a number of his longtime friends as well as those who had contributed materially to his election as president of the Liberal Democratic Party. The prime minister's office and the Cabinet are packed with some of "the best students in class" who enjoy Abe's favor. There are no politicians in the true sense of the word.
Those failures in personnel selection are partly responsible for the problems involving Cabinet members and party officials. Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Ha-kuo Yanagisawa is under fire for describing women as "child-bearing machines" in a public speech. Others have also come under attack for making improper statements. Meanwhile, the minister for administrative reform has resigned over political funding irregularities.