TOKYO (MNI) – The public approval rating for the cabinet of Prime
Minister Yoshihiko Noda dropped five percentage points to 29% in a
survey conducted between Friday and Sunday by Nikkei Inc and TV Tokyo
Corp from the previous month.
The reading was the lowest since Noda took office in September and
it came after the government decided earlier this month to restart two
idled nuclear reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co’s Oi plant in western
Japan.
The poll showed that 54% of the respondents criticized such move
and only 30% favored it.
The survey also found that 46% said the minimum of Japan’s 50
nuclear power plants should be brought back online, with 29% arguing
that all should be suspended.
Meantime, the disapproval rating rose eight points to a record 62%.
Noda also continued to struggle to gain support from the voters for
his pledge to pursue reforms of tax and social security systems.
The survey showed that half of the respondents opposed the bill the
government submitted to the Diet to lift the 5% sales tax to 8% in April
2014 and to 10% in October 2015, while a total of 40% supported the bill.
But when asked about the necessity of a higher sales tax to
maintain the social security system, 60% said the hike is vital, far
outweighing the 33% who call it unnecessary.
The survey covered 1,477 households, with response from 924, or
62.6%.
tokyo@marketnews.com
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