Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s approval rating has fallen below 50 per cent for the first time since she took office in October last year, according to a Kyodo News Agency poll published on Sunday, amid criticism of her handling of a scandal involving her former agriculture minister.
The survey, conducted on 17 and 18 October, put support for Takaichi’s cabinet at 49.1 per cent.
Some 57.7 per cent of respondents said Takaichi had acted too late in replacing Kazuo Yana, who resigned as farm minister on Wednesday, while 81.5 per cent said it was right for him to step down, Kyodo reported.
Yana, appointed in a cabinet reshuffle in September, came under fire after local media reported earlier this month that he had suggested cutting road funding for municipalities that did not support him.
The comments drew widespread criticism, with opponents questioning whether public money was being used for political ends. Takaichi publicly reprimanded Yana in parliament before accepting his resignation.
Announcing his departure, Yana said he wanted to prevent the controversy from disrupting parliamentary debate and diverting attention from agricultural, forestry and fisheries policy.
The affair has raised questions over Takaichi’s judgement in choosing her ministers and her response to misconduct by senior officials. While the poll does not show the scandal was the sole cause of the drop, the decline marks a setback for the prime minister less than a year into her tenure.
Poland began two days of national mourning on Sunday (8 November) and police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in ...
Security measures have been stepped up in Antalya, Türkiye, ahead of the COP31 United Nations climate summit, which begins on Monday, 9 Novemb...
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) dismissed a new U.S. military operation targeting the movement of weapons and sanctioned materi...
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv early on Saturday, 7 November, injuring two people and damaging residential buildings, just three days before U.S.-led peace talks with Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi.
New Zealand’s ruling centre-right National Party has taken a narrow lead over the opposition Labour Party in Saturday’s general election, with the country’s current three-party coalition projected to retain power.
India's delivery of guided Pinaka rockets to Armenia is drawing renewed attention as analysts assess the military and strategic significance of one of New Delhi's most prominent defence export deals.
Azerbaijan, the United States and Armenia have launched trilateral technical planning groups to advance the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), marking another step towards implementing the regional connectivity project agreed at the Washington peace summit in August 2025.
Poland began two days of national mourning on Sunday (8 November) and police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków that the government said was likely inspired by far-right ideology.
Security measures have been stepped up in Antalya, Türkiye, ahead of the COP31 United Nations climate summit, which begins on Monday, 9 November, with thousands of additional personnel deployed across the Mediterranean city.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) dismissed a new U.S. military operation targeting the movement of weapons and sanctioned materials on Sunday, 8 November, saying Washington would fail to isolate the Iranian economy despite expanding restrictions on maritime and land routes.
A Russian overnight attack on energy infrastructure in Ukraine's eastern Dnipropetrovsk region left more than 600,000 people without electricity on Sunday, 8 November, Ukrainian energy company DTEK said.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment