TOKYO (Bernama-Kyodo): The approval rate for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet fell 2.5 percentage points from the previous survey to 61.3 per cent, with 70.6 per cent of respondents expressing concern about disrupted supplies of petroleum-derived naphtha, a Kyodo News poll showed Sunday.
In the two-day telephone survey conducted from Saturday, 70.5 per cent of respondents said the government should ask the public to conserve energy in response to oil supply shortages amid the West Asia conflict, Kyodo News reported.
The conflict has tightened supplies of naphtha, which is used to produce ethylene and other chemicals for a wide range of products, including plastics, insulation foam, adhesives, medical supplies such as syringes, and printing ink solvents.
Japanese companies such as Calbee Inc. and Kagome Co. were forced to sell some products in simplified packaging, while Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara on Friday called on the public not to stock up on household trash bags more than necessary.
The government has repeatedly said there will be no disruption to naphtha supplies, adding that necessary volumes have been secured, while Takaichi has said she would respond flexibly should energy-saving measures become necessary.
Asked about the recent easing of restrictions on exports of lethal weapons, 57.2 per cent opposed the move, while 37.1 per cent supported the new policy.
The government last month relaxed rules on lethal weapon exports to bolster its defence industry and strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of like-minded partners.
The survey showed 28.1 per cent said the government should eliminate the consumption tax on food items for two years, as proposed by the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party to deal with inflation, even if retailers need a year to update their computer systems for the tax rate change.
But 32.4 per cent said such a tax cut is unnecessary.
Regarding measures to secure the number of imperial family members, 73.9 per cent supported allowing female members to retain imperial status after marriage. Female members currently must leave the family upon marriage to a commoner.
Some 43.7 per cent agreed with a proposal to adopt men from former branch families into the imperial family, while 83.0 per cent supported allowing a woman to become emperor.
Debate is expected to advance in the current Diet session after lawmakers on Friday submitted their parties' views on amending a law to ensure the imperial family's long-term stability.
Among political parties, support for the LDP fell to 36.2 per cent from 40.3 per cent in the previous survey in April. Support for the Democratic Party for the People rose to 6.9 per cent from 6.1 per cent.
Support for the LDP's junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, stood at 6.7 per cent, up from 6.5 per cent in the previous survey, while 20.2 per cent said they did not support any political party.
A total of 509 randomly selected households with eligible voters and 3,410 mobile phone numbers were called for the survey, yielding responses from 424 household members and 621 mobile phone users. -- Bernama-Kyodo
