ID :
191867
Wed, 06/29/2011 - 18:50
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/191867
The shortlink copeid
66% say Kan created political vacuum, public support sinks: poll
TOKYO (Kyodo) - Public support for embattled Prime Minister Naoto Kan's Cabinet fell sharply to 23.2 percent, a Kyodo News survey showed Wednesday, with 66.3 percent of the respondents saying he has created a political vacuum by remaining in office.
As to when Kan should act on his stated intention to step down, 30.5 percent said he should quit immediately, while 37.1 percent said he should do so when the current ordinary Diet session concludes at the end of August, according to the nationwide telephone poll conducted Tuesday and Wednesday.
Asked who was best suited to be next prime minister, the highest proportion picked former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, followed closely by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.
The approval rating for Kan's Cabinet was significantly lower than the 33.4 percent in the previous survey taken in early June after he survived a no-confidence motion in parliament against his Cabinet, underscoring how the public has grown frustrated with Kan remaining in power despite his expressed intention to resign.
The disapproval rate for the Cabinet stood at 61.2 percent, up from 58.8 percent in the previous poll.
The ratio of those who think the House of Representatives should be dissolved and a general election should be held this summer or sometime soon came to 18.0 percent, up from 13.3 percent in the previous survey, and 30.5 percent said it should be conducted after the autumn but by the end of this year, suggesting more voters are seeking an early lower house election.
Declining to comment on specific poll results, Edano said at a news conference soon after the survey was released, ''We must take seriously the fact that the current political situation has come under the stern gaze of the public. To avoid any political vacuum, I believe the Cabinet must move forward with its duties.''
But with expectations growing that Kan will resign in the near future, the focus is also on who will succeed him.
In the latest poll, Maehara got the highest backing at 20.8 percent as the most suitable person for next prime minister, with Edano getting 19.2 percent. In a distant third was Katsuya Okada, secretary general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, at 11.9 percent.
Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who has emerged as a frontrunner to replace Kan within the DPJ, received only 5.3 percent support, indicating he has failed to make a strong showing to the public.
A majority of respondents, 52.6 percent, opposed Kan's recruitment on Monday of Kazuyuki Hamada from the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party as a parliamentary secretary of internal affairs.
Meanwhile, 43.9 percent approved of the appointment of Goshi Hosono, Kan's special adviser, as state minister in charge of dealing with the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The approval rating for the DPJ fell 4.0 percentage points from the previous survey to 21.9 percent. That for the LDP also dropped 2.9 points to 22.8 percent, but it exceeded the DPJ's rating.
Asked if they would support a temporary tax hike to secure funds for reconstruction following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, 10.3 percent said yes, while 37.3 percent were generally in favor of such a measure.
Kan revamped his Cabinet lineup slightly on Monday but the appointment of Hamada drew fierce criticisms even from his own DPJ as the move is likely to aggravate the already strained ties with the LDP. Hamada has submitted his resignation to the opposition party.
Under mounting pressure to quit, Kan announced earlier this month his intention to step down once tangible progress is achieved in containing the nuclear crisis and rebuilding Japan.
As to when Kan should act on his stated intention to step down, 30.5 percent said he should quit immediately, while 37.1 percent said he should do so when the current ordinary Diet session concludes at the end of August, according to the nationwide telephone poll conducted Tuesday and Wednesday.
Asked who was best suited to be next prime minister, the highest proportion picked former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, followed closely by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.
The approval rating for Kan's Cabinet was significantly lower than the 33.4 percent in the previous survey taken in early June after he survived a no-confidence motion in parliament against his Cabinet, underscoring how the public has grown frustrated with Kan remaining in power despite his expressed intention to resign.
The disapproval rate for the Cabinet stood at 61.2 percent, up from 58.8 percent in the previous poll.
The ratio of those who think the House of Representatives should be dissolved and a general election should be held this summer or sometime soon came to 18.0 percent, up from 13.3 percent in the previous survey, and 30.5 percent said it should be conducted after the autumn but by the end of this year, suggesting more voters are seeking an early lower house election.
Declining to comment on specific poll results, Edano said at a news conference soon after the survey was released, ''We must take seriously the fact that the current political situation has come under the stern gaze of the public. To avoid any political vacuum, I believe the Cabinet must move forward with its duties.''
But with expectations growing that Kan will resign in the near future, the focus is also on who will succeed him.
In the latest poll, Maehara got the highest backing at 20.8 percent as the most suitable person for next prime minister, with Edano getting 19.2 percent. In a distant third was Katsuya Okada, secretary general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, at 11.9 percent.
Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who has emerged as a frontrunner to replace Kan within the DPJ, received only 5.3 percent support, indicating he has failed to make a strong showing to the public.
A majority of respondents, 52.6 percent, opposed Kan's recruitment on Monday of Kazuyuki Hamada from the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party as a parliamentary secretary of internal affairs.
Meanwhile, 43.9 percent approved of the appointment of Goshi Hosono, Kan's special adviser, as state minister in charge of dealing with the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The approval rating for the DPJ fell 4.0 percentage points from the previous survey to 21.9 percent. That for the LDP also dropped 2.9 points to 22.8 percent, but it exceeded the DPJ's rating.
Asked if they would support a temporary tax hike to secure funds for reconstruction following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, 10.3 percent said yes, while 37.3 percent were generally in favor of such a measure.
Kan revamped his Cabinet lineup slightly on Monday but the appointment of Hamada drew fierce criticisms even from his own DPJ as the move is likely to aggravate the already strained ties with the LDP. Hamada has submitted his resignation to the opposition party.
Under mounting pressure to quit, Kan announced earlier this month his intention to step down once tangible progress is achieved in containing the nuclear crisis and rebuilding Japan.
