Support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida fell in three polls carried out over the weekend, threatening his prospects in a general election that may come as soon as the autumn.
A survey carried out by the Mainichi newspaper Saturday and Sunday found support had slumped by 12 percentage points on the previous month to 33%, as concerns grew over data security in the introduction of a new national ID card. Polls by the Asahi newspaper and Kyodo News conducted over the same period found support had fallen by about 4 percentage points and 6 percentage points respectively.
Kishida last week shut down speculation of a vote as soon as next month by saying he wouldn’t dissolve the current session of parliament for an election. He’s been widely expected to call one by the end of the year, ahead of an announcement on how he’ll fund plans for a 60% hike in defense spending, which may entail tax increases.
While he needn’t go to the people until 2025, an election victory would help him retain his position as leader of the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party in a vote in September next year. The party is likely to stay in power, but risks losing seats to the upstart Japan Innovation Party.
A scandal over Kishida’s son and a series of data errors in the introduction of the ID card that will eventually be used to provide access to healthcare have contributed to the erosion of support. Polls show voters are also unimpressed with his policies aimed at tackling a population crisis he says threatens to undermine the country’s long-term economic prospects.
More than 70% of respondents to the Kyodo poll said the plan to use the ID card for healthcare access from autumn 2024 should be abandoned or delayed. The same proportion said they didn’t have positive expectations for his policies to boost the birthrate.
