TOKYO, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The latest opinion poll has shown that the disapproval rate of the Japanese government headed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida jumped to 39 percent, a record high since Kishida took office in October 2021, Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on Monday.
The telephone survey, conducted by Asahi Shimbun from Aug. 27 to 28, received 998 valid responses nationwide. While the disapproval rate surged to 39 percent from 25 percent in the previous survey in July, the approval rate of Kishida's cabinet dropped significantly to 47 percent from 57 percent, according to the newspaper.
When asked about Kishida's handling of issues of Japanese politicians' ties to the Unification Church, 65 percent of respondents said they "do not approve," while only 21 percent said they did.
As for a state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 50 percent opposed the ceremony and 45 percent were in favor. It is worth noting that Japan's younger and older generations have markedly different attitudes toward Abe's state funeral, with 64 percent of the respondents aged 18 to 29 voicing support, and 60 percent of the respondents aged 60 and over replying the opposite.
According to the survey, 58 percent objected to Kishida's plan of building next-generation nuclear power plants in the country, while only 34 percent supported the idea.
Regarding the government's response to the latest seventh wave of coronavirus infections, 49 percent found the measures to be ineffective while 45 percent gave high marks, which was the first time that more respondents were critical of the government's response to the pandemic since Kishida formed his first cabinet in October. ■