2ND LD: Support rate for Hatoyama Cabinet down 10.2 points: Kyodo poll

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TOKYO, Nov. 1 Kyodo -
(EDS: UPDATING, ADDING DETAILS)
The support rate for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Cabinet remained high at
61.8 percent in a Kyodo News survey conducted on the weekend despite a drop of
10.2 percentage points from the previous poll carried out shortly after its
inauguration in mid-September.
The nationwide telephone survey, conducted Saturday and Sunday, also showed the
disapproval rating has risen to 22.9 percent from 13.1 percent.
The support rate for the DPJ dropped 4.2 points to 43.4 percent, compared with
21.1 percent for the Liberal Democratic Party, up 2.3 points.
Critics say the decline in public support for the Hatoyama Cabinet partly stems
from concerns over the government's economic and diplomatic policies, including
the increasingly contentious issue of relocating a U.S. Marine Corps airfield
in Okinawa.
In response to a key question on economic issues, 68.0 percent of those polled
said they would allow the government led by the Democratic Party of Japan to
partially revise the party's election manifesto or delay implementing them if
it wants to curb deficit-covering bond issues.
Hatoyama, who took office on Sept. 16 after the DPJ's landslide victory in the
Aug. 30 general election, has hinted at the possibility of issuing additional
deficit-covering bonds to finance the fiscal 2010 state budget.
On the other hand, 24.7 percent said the DPJ should make good on the pledges
included in the manifesto without any delays, while 75.1 percent opposed the
additional issuance of debt-covering bonds.
Regarding the recent appointment of former Vice Finance Minister Jiro Saito as
president of Japan Post Holdings Co., 49.4 percent said they do not support the
decision, compared with 27.0 percent who said they support it.
The choice of Saito as the successor to Yoshifumi Nishikawa came as the
government has stepped up efforts to change the postal privatization plan that
had been driven by the previous LDP-led administration.
The appointments appear to run contrary to the DPJ's policy of banning
bureaucrats from taking up posts at government affiliates, and 61.4 percent of
those who surveyed said it does contradict to such a policy.
Reflecting a widely held view that Hatoyama and Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa
constitute a dual leadership within the DPJ, 74.4 percent said the prime
minister needs to exert his own leadership more.
Only 22.2 percent said they were convinced by the explanations Hatoyama has
made in relation to the political funds scandal, in which a former secretary of
him is at the center of the ongoing investigation.
In the latest survey, calls were made to numbers randomly generated by
computer. A total of 1,476 eligible voters were reached, of whom 1,025 replied.
Of them, 69.8 percent said the ruling coalition of the DPJ, the Social
Democratic Party and the People's New Party is not functioning well.
Asked what type of administration they would prefer after the House of
Councillors election slated for next summer, 38.8 percent said they favor a
government of the DPJ alone, while 24.5 percent said they want to see the
current three-party coalition maintained and 22.0 percent said they hope to see
another form of coalition led by the DPJ.
Other than the DPJ and LDP, the support rate came to 3.4 percent for the New
Komeito party, 2.7 percent for the Japanese Communist Party, 1.9 percent for
the SDP, 1.3 percent for Your Party and 0.5 percent for the People's New Party.
==Kyodo
2009-11-01 22:17:15