Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (C) arrived for an election campaign speech in support of the Liberal Democratic Party candidate in Sakai city of Osaka Prefecture on October 20. – AFP

Approval ratings for Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba have declined ahead of the October 27 general election, according to a recent weekend poll. Another survey indicates that the ruling coalition may face difficulties in securing a majority. Ishiba, the former defense minister, assumed office this month after being elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has dominated Japanese politics since the end of World War II. Scandals involving funding and LDP lawmakers' connections to the Unification Church, coupled with public dissatisfaction over rising prices, led to a significant drop in the party's ratings during the tenure of Ishiba's predecessor, Fumio Kishida.

A Kyodo News survey conducted on Saturday and Sunday showed Ishiba's cabinet approval rating at 41.4 percent, down from 42.0 percent a week earlier. The disapproval rating was 40.4 percent in the latest survey of approximately 1,260 voters, according to Kyodo. This disapproval rate was higher than the 36.7 percent recorded in the October 12-13 poll.

A separate weekend survey by the liberal-leaning Asahi Shimbun newspaper found public support for Ishiba's cabinet at 33 percent, with 39 percent expressing disapproval. These results are less favorable than those faced by Kishida in 2021 before his first general election as premier, when he had a 42 percent approval rating against 31 percent disapproval, according to the Asahi.

The daily reported that its polls suggested the LDP and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, could lose their majority in the upcoming vote. Jiji Press, however, indicated that the coalition was likely to retain its majority, although the LDP might not reach the threshold on its own—a scenario reflected in several previous polls by other outlets.

The conservative LDP and Komeito, a moderate party supported by a Buddhist-linked group, have been in power since 2012, when the late former premier Shinzo Abe secured a landslide victory.

"Regardless of whether or not we lose our majority, we should engage in constructive discussions with parties that share our policy goals for the country's development," said LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama during a political debate program aired by public broadcaster NHK on Sunday.

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