Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s once sky-high approval ratings have slipped as voters raise doubts about how she plans to fund her headline tax-cut pledge, according to media polls released on Monday (Jan 26).
A weekend survey by the Nikkei newspaper showed approval for Takaichi’s government fell to 67 per cent from 75 per cent in December, dropping “below 70 per cent for the first time since she took office last October”. The decline comes as the nationalist leader faces mounting criticism over her decision to call a snap general election for Feb 8, just over a year after the previous lower-house election in October 2024 that was meant to set a four-year term.
Takaichi is due to appear on Monday in a televised panel discussion with opposition leaders, where economic policy and election timing are expected to dominate debate. Japan’s first woman prime minister has defended the early poll as necessary to test public support for her leadership and the new coalition government she formed after taking office.
Following her appointment three months ago, Takaichi was forced into swift negotiations to build a coalition between her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), securing only a slim majority in the powerful lower house. A fresh election victory would allow her to seek a stronger mandate, even as the LDP continues to struggle with low party approval ratings and lingering fallout from political scandals.
Central to her campaign is a pledge to waive Japan’s consumption tax on food for two years, a move aimed at easing pressure from rising living costs. However, Takaichi has yet to explain how the government would cover the resulting loss in revenue. According to the Nikkei poll, 56 per cent of respondents said they did not believe a zero tax rate on food would be effective in countering inflation.
Other surveys echoed the downward trend. A weekend poll by the liberal Mainichi Shimbun showed Takaichi’s approval rating falling to 57 per cent from 67 per cent in December. The newspaper reported widespread frustration over the snap election, noting it had slowed legislative debate on the new government budget ahead of the fiscal year ending in March.
Meanwhile, the top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun said the government’s popularity slipped four points to 69 per cent, with many respondents calling for stronger economic measures to address soaring prices.
