Japan PM Kishida’s support sinks in poll amid Covid spike

JAPANESE Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s approval rating sank to the lowest since he took office last October in a Kyodo News poll as the nation sees a resurgence in coronavirus cases. 

The public opinion survey, which was taken this weekend, showed that his cabinet’s support rate dropped by 12.2 percentage points from a poll conducted on Jul 11 and 12 to 51 per cent. 

As the nation’s coronavirus cases spike, those expressing support for the government’s Covid-19 response fell by 7.7 points to 53.3 per cent, the poll showed. More than 60 per cent of responses showed discontent with how the administration is tackling the recent rise in prices, the survey also revealed.

Japan is now recording the highest weekly coronavirus cases in the world, according to data compiled by the World Health Organization, with 1.33 million cases logged in the past 7 days, followed by the US with 903,803 cases.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Sunday (Jul 31) reported 31,541 new coronavirus infections. The capital’s daily record was on Thursday with 40,406 cases logged. BLOOMBERG