Japan PM Kishida’s vaunted ‘ability to listen’ returns to haunt him as approval sags

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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet approval ratings have fallen below 30 percent in two separate polls, with an unforgiving public looking upon his administration in a bad light.

A poll last week had his support at 27.4 percent, down 4.9 percentage points from September. This was even lower than his predecessor Yoshihide Suga’s worst ratings of 29.0 per cent in August 2021. Suga resigned a month later.

Another poll in September had Kishida’s support at 29 percent. Most other surveys put support at below 40 percent.

Experts noted that Kishida’s touted strength of his “ability to listen” to ordinary people in his campaign to become leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and then the LDP’s triumph in two national elections, has become a double-edged sword.

While this won him support at the start, with Suga described as “wooden” and “out of touch”, overwhelming public opinion now is one of how Kishida has all but reneged on this promise.

Dr Toru Yoshida, a political scientist at Doshisha University in Kyoto, said: “This has turned out to be a weak point since he has left the image that he has dismissed popular opinions.”

An editorial published in October, blasted as “hollow” Kishida’s promises “to respond sincerely, humbly and scrupulously to harshly critical voices of the public”.

First, there was the unpopular state funeral for slain controversial former prime minister Shinzo Abe, which was costly yet decided on by the Cabinet without undergoing parliamentary procedures.

Then there was the lingering fallout over the Unification Church, with Economic Revitalisation Minister Daishiro Yamagiwa, in particular, facing calls to be sacked due to his repeated falsehoods over his ties with the controversial group.

Adding fuel to the fire, Kishida appointed his eldest son Shotaro, 31, as his executive secretary in an apparent bid to groom him as his successor.

This has sparked accusations of nepotism, even though hereditary politics has long been a tradition in Japan, with one in four Diet members legacy politicians.

Dr Sota Kato, a research director at The Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research think-tank, said: “Given the extraordinary rate of hereditary succession in Japanese politics, it is quite normal to have a son as a public secretary.

“But the timing was too bad. Now, Kishida will be criticized for anything. I think he misread the mood in the media and public opinion in giving his eldest son a conspicuous role at this point in time.”

Also, the economy has been weighed under by a weak yen that hit a 32-year low last week, inflation that hit a 31-year high in August, and persistently stagnant wages that have left many ordinary Japanese poorer off.

Price hikes have been implemented for over 20,000 food items so far in 2022, according to think-tank Teikoku Databank.

“Many Japanese feel vulnerable to inflation and the rising cost of living. If the government leaves the impression that it is not tackling the problem, approval ratings will stay low,” Dr Yoshida said, adding that Kishida has not succeeded in communicating the substance of many of his policies.

 

 

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

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