Abe denies cronyism amid declining support

Tokyo

JAPANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to stem a slide in his popularity in a special parliamentary hearing on Monday, reiterating his denials of cronyism, apologising for disparaging remarks about opponents and vowing to focus on the economy.

Approval for Mr Abe's cabinet slumped again in three media polls conducted over the weekend. His support was at 26 per cent, the lowest since he took office in 2012, in a poll conducted by the Mainichi newspaper, while disapproval was more than twice as high at 56 per cent. Separate surveys by the Nikkei newspaper and FNN put support at 39 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively.