Approval ratings for Abe Cabinet stay high: Asahi, Yomiuri

Rabu, 17 April 2013 01:09

(TOKYO-Kyodo) Approval ratings for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe remain high on expectations of an economic turnaround, two major dailies reported Tuesday.

The Yomiuri Shimbun said the support rate came to 74 percent, up 2 percentage points from its previous survey a month ago, while the Asahi Shimbun said it stood at 60 percent, down from 65 percent.

The Yomiuri said the Abe Cabinet's support rate has continued rising in its surveys since its launch in late December, and is the first Cabinet to see its approval rise for four consecutive months since the daily started the monthly poll in 1978.

The Asahi, however, found a slight fall in the approval rate in its latest survey, although it noted that it still remains high.

The disapproval rating, meanwhile, came to 17 percent, down from 20 percent, in the Yomiuri poll conducted between Friday and Sunday, while it stood at 19 percent, up from 17 percent, in the Asahi poll over the weekend.

The Yomiuri said 1,030 eligible voters responded to its nationwide telephone survey, with the response rate standing at 59 percent, while the Asahi phone survey collected 1,535 responses from eligible voters, with the response rate coming to 49 percent.