Fukuda support rate hits record low 20%

While gas prices rise, the support rate for Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's Cabinet continues to plunge, hitting a dismal 20 percent in the latest Asahi Shimbun survey.

A majority of voters opposed his government's move Wednesday to exploit a rarely used constitutional stipulation to bypass opposition in the Upper House and revive the higher gasoline tax rate through a second vote in the Lower House.

The support rate of 20 percent, down from 25 percent in the previous survey conducted on April 19 and 20, is the lowest since Fukuda took office last September.

Fifty-nine percent said they did not support Fukuda's Cabinet.

The nationwide telephone survey of randomly chosen eligible voters was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, with 998 valid responses.

It was held after the Lower House passed the bill to resurrect the gas tax surcharge of 25 yen per liter.

According to the survey, 66 percent of voters opposed the revival of the higher tax rate, compared with only 22 percent who supported it.

Voters were also frustrated by the high-handed Diet maneuver of the ruling coalition. Fifty-four percent said they oppose the way the gas tax bill was passed, while 29 percent said the move was appropriate.

Also in the survey, opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), which has demanded the abolition of the higher gas tax rate, was more popular than the ruling Liberal Democratic Party for the first time since a survey taken in August last year shortly after the Upper House election.

The latest survey showed that 28 percent of voters support Minshuto, up from 22 percent in the previous survey in April, compared with 24 percent who backed the LDP, down from 26 percent.

Asked which party they would vote for in the proportional representation part of a snap election if it was held now, 39 percent said Minshuto, up from 32 percent in a February survey.

Only 22 percent of the respondents said they would vote for the LDP, a drop from 30 percent in February.

The latest poll also showed that Minshuto has attracted an increasing number of female voters, who had been less supportive of the main opposition party in previous surveys.

The ruling bloc's plan to pass another bill on May 13 to use gas tax revenue exclusively for road construction over the next decade could also damage the Cabinet's support rate.

Fifty-nine percent of the respondents in the survey said the plan is inappropriate, compared with 28 percent who said it was appropriate.

As for Fukuda's earlier pledge to incorporate road-related tax revenues into the general account budget, 67 percent said they support that policy, while 22 percent voiced opposition.

But those who support the road-related tax reform were divided over whether to continue with the "temporary" higher tax rates, which had been in place for decades until the opposition camp allowed them to expire March 31. The support and opposition rates of the higher gas tax rate were both 44 percent among this group.

Voters were also divided over Minshuto's plan to submit a censure motion against Fukuda in the Upper House. Forty-two percent said they approve the move, while 40 percent said otherwise.

If the Upper House passes the censure motion, 60 percent of the respondents said Fukuda should dissolve the Lower House and call an election, while 9 percent said he should step down, according to the survey.(IHT/Asahi: May 3,2008)