Latest Japanese opinion polls show support for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet has continued to decline, reaching its lowest level since she took office. Experts said the drop reflects growing public doubts about the administration's governing philosophy, policy competence and approach to governance.
The approval ratings fell to 41 percent in a Mainichi Shimbun survey conducted on Saturday and Sunday, their lowest level since the administration came into office in October 2025. A Kyodo News poll at the same time also found that the approval rate for Takaichi's Cabinet fell 3.5 percentage points from the previous survey in July to 50.2 percent.
The key focus of the weekend polls was the government's plan to cut the consumption tax on food from the current 8 percent to 1 percent for two years starting in April 2027.
The support for the policy stood at 54 percent in a Yomiuri Shimbun survey and 52.7 percent in the Kyodo News poll. An ANN survey found that 47 percent of respondents supported the measure, while 42 percent opposed it. Mainichi's survey showed a different trend, with 47 percent of respondents viewing the policy negatively, compared with 33 percent who viewed it positively.
