Approval rating slides to 40s as independents drift away; solid conservative base holds, but expansionary fiscal policy faces pressure

Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae holds a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo following a cabinet reshuffle on Sept. 17. [EPA]
Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae holds a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo following a cabinet reshuffle on Sept. 17. [EPA]

A year after Takaichi Sanae became leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, the celebrity-like enthusiasm she sparked — particularly among women — as the country's first female prime minister has faded, with her cabinet's approval rating slipping into the 40s.

According to Japan's Mainichi Shimbun on Sunday, the Takaichi cabinet's approval rating stood at 45 percent in last month's survey. While that still exceeds the disapproval rate of 40 percent, it marks a 20-percentage-point drop from the 65 percent recorded when the cabinet launched.

The Mainichi noted that the "Takaichi fever" that had swept through younger voters — women in particular — has cooled as she marks her first year in office.

"Amid the fading of the initial excitement that greeted the administration, a solid conservative base estimated at around 40 percent continues to provide firm support for the cabinet's approval rating," the paper said.

Takaichi won the LDP leadership race on Oct. 4 last year and launched her cabinet on Oct. 21 of that month, becoming Japan's first female prime minister. She generated a wave of enthusiasm — especially among younger voters — with her image as a reformer who broke through the glass ceiling in Japan's male-dominated political world and as a politician without a hereditary political pedigree. The fervor gave rise to "Sana-katsu" ("Sana-katsu"), a portmanteau that swept through her supporters.

"Sana-katsu" combines "Sana," a nickname derived from Takaichi's given name Sanae, with "oshi-katsu," a term for the practice of actively supporting a favorite celebrity or character. The craze led some fans to buy products she uses and venerate her much as they would an entertainer.

A year into her tenure, however, voters have grown dissatisfied with the cabinet's policy record, and centrist voters in particular have begun to turn away. The term "Sana-katsu" has also largely disappeared from SNS.

Meanwhile, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that despite a reputation for sidelining the Finance Ministry, Takaichi has in practice been listening to orthodox bureaucrats when formulating economic policy, even as she champions her "responsible and proactive fiscal policy" slogan and pursues expansionary spending.

The paper noted, however, that she faces a political burden in openly distancing herself from "Abenomics" — the expansionary spending agenda of her political mentor, former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo — even as her actual approach diverges from it.

"Takaichi has presented two faces: one that works with the Finance Ministry out of consideration for markets, and one that opposes it," the Nikkei said. "But with even the US government raising questions about Japan's economic policy, her ambiguous stance — shaped by concern for her base — has reached its limits." The paper added that the Takaichi cabinet needs to revise its economic policy away from an exclusive reliance on expansionary fiscal spending.


carrier@heraldcorp.com