Support for Ishiba slips ahead of key national vote, NHK survey shows
Support for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's government has slipped ahead of key national elections next month, a poll showed on Monday, with his cash handout plan to help the public deal with inflation having failed to impress voters.
The current ruling bloc of Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and junior partner Komeito lost its lower house majority last year. A poor showing in the upper house elections slated for July 20 would likely weaken his grip on power further.
Support for Ishiba's government stands at 34%, down from 39% in the previous poll three weeks ago, according to the poll conducted by public broadcaster NHK.
The LDP says in its campaign pledges that it plans to give out 20,000 yen to each individual and an additional 20,000 yen to children as well as adult members of low-income households amid rising prices.
But the NHK poll showed 32% of those surveyed do not evaluate the plan very positively and 31% do not evaluate the scheme positively at all.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
an hour ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Inbound Tourism Fuels Land Price Surge Across Japan; High Hopes for Development Projects Ahead
Strong demand from inbound tourism has significantly driven up land prices in tourist destinations nationwide, a trend extending to areas around the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. According to an announcement by the National Tax Agency on Tuesday, land prices rose year-on-year in 35 prefectures, and the national average increased for the fourth consecutive year. Popular 'Little Kyotos' A 55-year-old Belgian tourist was seen smiling as she looked at a 'sarubobo' (monkey baby) — a local folk artwork — in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, on June 25. She said that a guidebook sparked her interest in the culture and nature in the area and that she found the traditional wooden buildings to be amazing. Takayama is popular for its old townscape, which comprises historic sake breweries and traditional houses. Last year, the city, dubbed 'Hida's Little Kyoto,' saw its foreign overnight visitors surge to about 769,700, an increase of 70% compared to the previous year. That number is a record high, significantly surpassing the pre-pandemic figure of about 612,000 in 2019. Reflecting this popularity, land prices in the area along Kami-Sannomachi Shimo-Sannomachi-dori street, located in the central part of the city, rose by 28.3% this year compared to the previous year, the fourth highest increase in the nation. According to the city's historic townscape preservation association, the surge in demand driven by inbound tourism means that buyers are quickly found even for shops on the main street of Kami-Sannomachi that closed due to the aging of their owners. The trend has left the street with almost no vacant properties. At the Sumiyoshi Ryokan inn with a more than 100-year-old building located along the Miyagawa river, a stream famous for its morning market, more than 90% of guests are inbound tourists. 'We're almost fully booked until September,' said Tsunetada Minami, 50, who manages the inn. 'International travelers are essential for the survival of our business.' Spreading on social media Even in Tokyo, where land prices saw the highest increase among all prefectures at 8.1%, it was mainly inbound tourism that was responsible for the rise. Land prices on Kaminarimon-dori street in Asakusa, Tokyo, recorded a 29% increase, the third highest nationwide and the highest in Tokyo. Nakamise-dori shopping street in the district is bustling with foreign tourists posing for photos in kimonos and buying souvenirs. 'Events like Sanja Festival have spread on social media, increasing their popularity among foreigners,' said Shigemi Fuji, 76, chairperson of the Asakusa Tourism Federation. Meanwhile, it has also been pointed out that the number of Japanese visitors to Asakusa has been decreasing. 'Some rickshaw drivers have days when all their passengers are foreign tourists,' said Takashi Sudo, 45, manager of Isshin, which operates a rickshaw service. Appeal of Expo Although the Osaka-Kansai Expo, which opened in April and is being held on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Konohana Ward, Osaka, had yet to open at the time of the land price assessment, speculation over associated redevelopment projects has still boosted land prices in the ward. The area around Yumeshima Station on the Osaka Metro Chuo Line, saw an 18.2% increase from the previous year. The station, which opened in January, is the closest one to the Expo venue. Land in the area around Bentencho Station, a station where passengers transfer from a JR line to access Yumeshima, also saw an 11% price increases. Near the station, there is a 20,000-square-meter plot of land, which used to be the site of a municipal high school. The city in September last year solicited redevelopment proposals for the site and received 12. 'There is a lot of interest in the area, as it's close to Yumeshima,' a city official said. According to a British company that operates hotels in 10 locations in Osaka, the average rate for a room at its hotels has increased by 30% year-on-year since the Expo opened in April. 'In addition to visitors from Asia, there has been a notable increase in visitors from Europe and the United States,' an official of the company said. 'The Expo is serving as a huge advertisement for promoting the appeal of Osaka to the world.'
an hour ago
Japan Adopts Plan to Cut Nankai Quake Deaths by 80 Pct
News from Japan Society Jul 1, 2025 19:41 (JST) Tokyo, July 1 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government decided Tuesday to seek to reduce the estimated number of deaths from a possible megaquake in the Nankai Trough off the country's Pacific coast by 80 pct over the next decade. The target is included in a revised basic plan to promote disaster prevention measures, which was adopted at the day's Central Disaster Prevention Council meeting, marking the first full revision of the original plan drawn up in 2014. According to the latest estimate disclosed in March, the death toll is expected to reach up to about 298,000. At the meeting, the government shared a proposal to designate 16 additional municipalities as "promotion areas" where intensive measures will be implemented. This will bring the total to 723 municipalities in 30 prefectures, mainly on the Pacific coast from Ibaraki to Okinawa prefectures. The addition, in response to new topographical data and other information based on new damage estimates, was approved by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba later. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Nikkei Asia
2 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Peeling back the layers of the AI supply chain onion
Welcome to the Tech Latest podcast. Every Tuesday, our tech experts Katey Creel and Akito Tanaka deliver the hottest trends and news from the sector. In this episode, Katey speaks with Taipei Tech correspondent Lauly Li and Tokyo correspondent Ryohtaroh Satoh about the ins-and-outs of the upstream AI supply chain, and the role small Japanese companies play in that ecosystem. Check out this episode's featured story: -- Nvidia and others court niche Japanese supplier to ease AI bottlenecks And register for our weekly #techAsia newsletter.
