Abe's approval hit by questions over taxpayer-funded festivities

Nov 25, 2019 | News On Japan

Nov 25, 2019 (Nikkei) - The approval rating of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet declined 7 points from last month to 50% in the latest Nikkei-TV Tokyo survey, taking a hit from the controversy over supporters being invited to a government-funded event to view cherry blossoms.

Disapproval of the cabinet rose 4 points to 40%.

Approval sank 5 points to 56% among men and 8 points to 43% among women. It came to 59% among those aged 18 to 39 but 48% for those 40 and older.

Opposition parties have taken issue with the selection of guests for the annual cherry blossom event, which was canceled for next spring. In the Diet, they have also questioned the handling of fees collected for a dinner hosted by an Abe supporters' group on the eve of the event.

The survey found that 69% of respondents are not satisfied with Abe's explanations so far. The figure reached 94% among those who do not support the cabinet and 73% among independents. About half of those backing the cabinet or Abe's Liberal Democratic Party said they are not satisfied.

Respondents also named their picks for prime minister from among 10 possible choices. Those choosing Abe slipped to 14% from 16%, putting him in third place. Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba led the pack at 20%, followed by Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at 18%. Ishiba and Koizumi, a son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, are both LDP members.

On whether the parties should begin discussions on specific steps to revise the constitution, 74% said yes, unchanged from the previous survey. The figure came to 82% among cabinet supporters and 63% among those not supporting the cabinet. Those seeing no need for discussion held steady at 20%.

Asked about household spending following the Oct. 1 consumption tax hike, 69% reported no change, down 7 points from the October poll. Those saying they cut spending rose 6 points to 27%.

Record Rain Triggers Level 5 Warning in Fukui

Record rainfall caused 19 rivers to overflow across Fukui Prefecture, flooding roads and homes, triggering landslides and temporarily forcing authorities to issue the highest-level heavy rain emergency warning from early Sunday morning.

Drones Deliver Supplies to Residents Cut Off by Landslide

Drones were used to deliver food and daily necessities to an isolated mountain community in Himi City, Toyama Prefecture, on August 30 after torrential rain triggered a landslide that cut off road access, while volunteers continued flood recovery work in neighboring Ishikawa Prefecture.

Typhoon No. 23 Overtakes No. 22 East of Japan as Both Head North

Two typhoons east of Japan were moving northward on August 30, with Typhoon No. 23 (Banlan) overtaking Typhoon No. 22 (Artau), although neither storm is expected to have a direct impact on Japan.

Nine-Minute Drone Video Shows Scale of Aeon Mall Damage

A 9-minute, 13-second drone video filmed inside Aeon Mall Kumamoto two days after the deadly explosion has provided a detailed view of the destruction, showing collapsed ceilings, heavy dust and widespread damage that may have affected between one-third and nearly half of the shopping center.

Conditions Ease as Typhoon No. 18 Passes Okinawa

Strong Typhoon No. 18 was moving northwest through the East China Sea on the night of August 26, gradually pulling away from Okinawa and the Amami Islands as lingering rain, strong winds and high waves were expected to ease. As of 9 p.m. on August 26, the typhoon was over waters north-northwest of Kume Island and moving northwest.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Three Students Swept Out to Sea in Kagoshima

Three teenage boys who went missing after being swept offshore from the coast of Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima Prefecture, on August 28 were found in the sea near the scene on August 29 and confirmed dead.

Foreign Cyclist Suffers Broken Shoulder in Shiga Hit-and-Run

A foreign man in his 30s suffered serious injuries after being struck by a car while riding a bicycle in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, early on August 29, with police investigating the incident as a hit-and-run.

Bread Dumping Mystery Takes a Twist

A fake video apparently created with generative AI showing a large bear eating piles of sliced bread has spread on social media following a series of illegal bread dumping incidents in Tottori Prefecture, prompting the prefectural government to warn that misinformation could cause economic harm.

Teens Arrested for Spraying Fire Extinguishers at Police Station

Three youths, including a high school student and a junior high school student, have been arrested on suspicion of obstructing police duties after allegedly stealing fire extinguishers and spraying them toward a police station in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture.

Avant-Garde Artist Yayoi Kusama Dies at 97

Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese avant-garde artist whose obsessive dots, nets, pumpkins and mirrored rooms grew from intensely personal visions into some of the most recognizable images in contemporary art, died at a hospital in Tokyo on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97. Her death was announced on August 27 by companies representing the artist, which said she continued painting until her final days.

Bus Driver Crashes While Shooing Away Mosquito

A Toei bus crashed into a traffic signal in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward on the morning of August 26 after the driver lost control of the steering wheel while trying to shoo away a mosquito, leaving two male passengers injured.

Don't Touch Paramedics' Shoes! Kanazawa Warns

Kanazawa's fire department is asking residents not to straighten or rearrange shoes removed by paramedics during emergency calls, warning that the well-intentioned gesture can delay the transport of patients by around 30 seconds and potentially interfere with medical care.

Luxury Watch Theft Carried Out in 10 Seconds

Two men who stole four luxury watches worth a combined 200 million yen from a store at Tokyo's Nakano Broadway may have carefully planned the 10-second theft, with one suspect renting an electric kick scooter shortly before the crime and investigators examining whether the other man's escape on foot was intended as a decoy.

< 2 3 4 5 >