Japan PM Takaichi's Cabinet Support Rate Dips to Lowest Since Taking Office

The approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet has dipped to 55.8%, marking the lowest point since she assumed office in October 2025. This decline, according to a Kyodo News poll released on June 21, 2026, reflects lingering uncertainty within the resource-scarce nation regarding the economic repercussions of the Middle East conflict.

The weekend telephone survey, conducted after the United States and Iran reached a preliminary peace deal that included reopening the Strait of Hormuz, revealed a divided public on security matters. A majority of respondents, 54.7 percent, believe there is no need to deploy the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to the key waterway to guarantee the safe passage of commercial vessels. Conversely, 36.6 percent expressed support for such a deployment.

Economically, the poll indicates continued struggles for households facing elevated prices. When asked about potential tax measures, the largest segment of respondents, 43.9 percent, favored lowering the consumption tax rate on food and beverages from the current 8 percent to 1 percent, anticipating a quicker implementation. Another 22.6 percent supported a complete zeroing of the tax rate, as pledged by the ruling parties, regardless of the timeline for implementation.

Prime Minister Takaichi's Cabinet support rate has seen a consistent decline in recent months, dropping 5.5 percentage points from the May survey. The disapproval rate increased by 1.1 points to 27.9 percent during the two-day survey period from June 20. Furthermore, the public appears divided on a proposal to address the dwindling number of imperial family members, with 44 percent approving the idea of enabling certain male descendants from former collateral branches to rejoin the imperial family, while 45.4 percent oppose it.