Approval of Japan PM Kishida's gov't hits new low, no help from economic plan

FILE PHOTO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a news conference at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan, October 28, 2022. Yoshikazu Tsuno/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters) - Public approval ratings for the government of Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida touched a new low in one opinion poll and clung near lows in another, hit by his party's ties to a controversial church and doubts about a massive spending plan.

Support slid to 42% in a poll conducted by the Nikkei newspaper at the weekend, the lowest since Kishida took office in October 2021. Approval edged up slightly in a Kyodo news agency survey to 37.6% from 35% at the start of October.