Opposition Centrists stall ahead of election, PM Takaichi's Cabinet has 69% support rating
The latest opinion poll conducted by NNN and the Yomiuri Shimbun showed that about 70 percent of respondents do not expect much from the newly formed opposition party Centrist Reform Alliance.
Asked which party they would vote for in the proportional representation section, 9 percent chose the new party, lower than the combined total the two parties that formed the new group got in the opinion poll just before the previous lower house election.
The largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party and Komeito, a former longtime coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, launched the new alliance this month.
One prospective Centrist candidate said the election will be tough and difficult, while another said the impact of teaming up with Komeito, known for having organized votes, has yet to be seen.
S/ Noda Yoshihiko, Co-leader, Centrist Reform Alliance / It will be a short period, but we aim to catch up and move ahead.
Meanwhile, the support rate for the ruling LDP rose by 5 points from the previous poll last month.
An LDP executive said the party hopes to continue capitalizing on Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s popularity.
But a senior LDP member expressed concern about growing optimism, saying good things often come with pitfalls.
A former Cabinet member planning to run on the LDP ticket in the Kyushu region said there are still headwinds over the issue of politics and money, while a prospective candidate in Tokyo said the actual feeling on the ground differs from the opinion polls.
The support rating for Takaichi’s Cabinet stood at 69 percent, down 4 points from the previous survey.
As for the preferred government framework after the election, 59 percent favored the continuation of an LDP-led administration, while 22 percent said they want a change to an opposition-led government.
The telephone survey got responses from 1,034 eligible voters from January 23 to 25.
Official campaigning for the House of Representatives election will begin on January 27, with voting scheduled for February 8.
