The Ishiba Cabinet's Approval Rating Rises After Trump Summit
The Ishiba Cabinet's approval rating has jumped to 40% from 33% following the summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to an Asahi Shimbun survey. The summit did not create any unexpected problems for Japan, which likely contributed to the increase in approval.
The survey, conducted on February 15th and 16th, found that 50% of respondents gave the first summit between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump favorable reviews. This exceeded the 35% who rated it negatively. Among those who viewed the summit positively, 61% supported the Ishiba Cabinet.
The talks on February 7th in Washington were closely watched in Japan to gauge how the Japanese prime minister would handle Trump and his unpredictability, particularly on security and trade. No surprise concerns for Japan arose from the summit.
Despite the gains for Ishiba, his Cabinet's approval ratings continued to fall below the disapproval ratings since last fall's Lower House election. Although the disapproval rating fell to 44% from 51% in the previous survey in January, it was still higher than the 40% approval rating.
Concerns About Trump's Tariff Increases
The survey also asked respondents about the negative impact on the Japanese economy from Trump's successive tariff increases. 82% said they felt concerned, either significantly or to some extent, while 16% said they felt little or no concern.
Upcoming Upper House Election
In domestic politics, an Upper House election is expected in July. When asked which party they would vote for in the proportional representation portion if the Upper House election were held now, 26% of respondents chose Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party. The Democratic Party for the People was the top choice in the opposition bloc, at 16%.
Public Opinion on Political Donations
Following the Lower House election, in which the coalition lost its majority due largely to a funding scandal in the LDP, the ruling and opposition parties have discussed what to do about political donations from corporations and organizations. The LDP has submitted a bill to the Diet to increase transparency in such funds.
Survey respondents were asked what they thought should be done about such donations. 44% of them support increased transparency, while 42% favor a complete ban on political donations from companies and organizations. The ruling and opposition parties said they would settle the issue by the end of March.