Takaichi Cabinet support in Japan stuck at 41% despite food tax cut plan: Mainichi poll

In a recent Mainichi Shimbun opinion poll conducted on August 22 and 23, the approval rating for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet remained at 41%, unchanged from the previous survey. The disapproval rating stood at 44%, also unchanged since the July 18 and 19 poll. The government has proposed lowering the consumption tax rate on food and beverages from the current 8% reduced rate to 1% for a two-year period beginning in April.

However, this policy has not garnered broad support among voters, and its impact on boosting the administration's approval rating has been limited. Only 33% of respondents approved of the policy, while 47% disapproved. With an expected loss of approximately 5 trillion yen ($31.5 billion) in annual tax revenue from the cut, no alternative revenue source has been presented.

When asked if the government should identify such a source, 66% of respondents believed it should, compared to 21% who thought it was not necessary. Furthermore, 39% of respondents were unsure whether they supported reverting the consumption tax rate to 8% after two years, while 25% opposed the idea. The government's lack of clarity on alternative revenue sources and the limited duration of the tax cut are cited as reasons for the policy's limited support.

Prime Minister Takaichi's decision to skip a war remembrance visit to Yasukuni Jinja shrine on August 15, in favor of offering prayers from afar, received mixed reactions. Thirty-three percent of respondents approved of her decision, while 29% disapproved. Similarly, opinions were divided regarding the prime minister's response to the Kumamoto earthquake, with 36% approving and 27% disapproving of her helicopter visit to the disaster area.

Public opinions were largely divided on the revised Imperial House Law, with 63% saying it had not gained public understanding, compared to 13% who believed it had. This survey was conducted using the smartphone-based d-Survey method, with 2,029 valid responses gathered from roughly 80 million Japanese adults aged 18 and above.