Japan's First Female Prime Minister Quickly Lost Popularity 0 22

According to a monthly survey conducted by Jiji Press, public support for the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi fell by 5.1 percentage points in June compared to the previous month, reaching 54.3%, the lowest level since she took office last October.

According to the survey conducted in June, the share of respondents who did not support the cabinet increased by 2.5 percentage points to 22.2%, the highest level since Takaichi's inauguration.

The results seemingly confirm media reports that Takaichi's election campaign team posted videos on social media that disparaged her opponents during recent elections, including last year's presidential election in the Liberal Democratic Party.

Among respondents who support Takaichi's cabinet, 23% rated her leadership qualities highly. On the other hand, 9.2% of those who disapprove of the cabinet's performance stated that she is unreliable.

The survey also asked whether the consumption tax rate on food should be reduced to zero or to 1%. 40.7% of respondents chose the zero rate, while 29.4% indicated 1%. Meanwhile, 22.1% stated that there is no need to reduce the tax rate.

Meanwhile, on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Nikkei index surpassed the 70,000-point mark for the first time in history.

After the Bank of Japan decided to raise interest rates at its monetary policy meeting in line with preliminary forecasts, buying activity noticeably increased.