Public Support for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Erodes Amid Conservative Legislative Push

Two recent opinion polls indicate a decline in public backing for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who entered office in February with a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. Analysts say voters are growing impatient because the administration has prioritized a slate of conservative bills rather than addressing the cost-of-living pressures that dominate everyday concerns.

South China Morning Post

Takaichi’s government has used its commanding parliamentary position to advance legislation favored by the most right-leaning factions of the Liberal Democratic Party. Observers note that this focus has come at the expense of visible progress on rising prices and other day-to-day issues affecting ordinary Japanese citizens. The extended Diet session, undertaken to pass these measures, has been cited as evidence that the prime minister’s agenda is out of step with public priorities.

South China Morning Post

He adds that the prime minister’s emphasis on fringe issues has done little to improve ordinary lives. The analyst’s assessment aligns with on-the-ground protests: on July 10, demonstrators gathered in front of the National Diet Building in Tokyo, holding signs to denounce the policies and bills recently promoted by Takaichi’s government.

South China Morning Post

• “She was given an immense mandate with a two-thirds majority for her own party, so there should have been nothing to obstruct her policies and no need to extend the Diet session, which they have just done,” — Michael Cucek, a professor of Asian Studies at Temple University’s Tokyo campus

South China Morning Post