Takaichi Cabinet Approval Drops Amid Taiwan Comment Fallout
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet approval rating has slipped to 67.5 percent, as most respondents expressed concern that her recent remarks on a potential Taiwan conflict could harm Japan’s economy, a Kyodo News survey revealed on Sunday.
Despite these worries, 57.0 percent of those polled said they did not view Takaichi’s comments as careless, while 37.6 percent considered them inappropriate. Her statement contrasted with previous prime ministers’ cautious approach to the sensitive Taiwan issue.
Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing have heightened since Takaichi told parliament on November 7 that any attack on Taiwan—claimed by China as its own territory—could pose a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. The remark was widely interpreted as suggesting possible involvement of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces alongside the United States under the country’s collective self-defense framework.
The two-day telephone survey, conducted from Saturday, showed the cabinet’s approval rating down 2.4 points from last month, while the disapproval rate climbed 3.9 points to 20.4 percent.
Public anxiety also deepened over Japan’s fiscal situation following the enactment on Tuesday of an 18.3 trillion yen (about $116 billion) supplementary budget for the fiscal year ending in March. 64.6 percent of respondents said they were increasingly concerned about government finances, particularly as 11.7 trillion yen in new bonds will be issued to fund more than 60 percent of the package.
Regarding the government’s plan to distribute “rice vouchers” as part of its inflation relief program, 82.4 percent of respondents said the measure would have only a limited impact on easing rising consumer prices.
At the same time, 64.1 percent welcomed a recent tax reform agreement between Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), which would raise the annual tax-free income threshold from 1.60 million yen to 1.78 million yen starting in fiscal 2026.
By party, support stood at 31.1 percent for the LDP, 7.8 percent each for the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the DPP, and 8.0 percent for the Japan Innovation Party.
Asked about a potential coalition between the LDP and DPP, 49.2 percent of respondents supported the idea, while 40.0 percent were opposed.
The survey contacted 491 randomly selected households with eligible voters and 3,040 mobile phone users, yielding responses from 420 household members and 620 mobile participants.