Cabinet disapproval rate exceeds approval rate for first time

Nonsupporters outnumbered supporters of the Hatoyama Cabinet for the first time, as the money scandal surrounding Ichiro Ozawa has damaged the image of the ruling party, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.

The nonsupport rate for the Cabinet was 45 percent, up from 41 percent in January, while the support rate dipped from 42 percent to 41 percent, according to the survey conducted Friday and Saturday.

Since Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama took office in September, the approval rate of his administration has steadily declined from 71 percent right after his inauguration, while the nonapproval rate has risen from 14 percent.

One big reason for the recent increase in nonsupporters is the scandal over a plot of land in Tokyo bought in 2004 by the political fund management organization of Ozawa, secretary-general of the Democratic Party of Japan.

Prosecutors suspect the group falsified its political fund reports to conceal the origin of the funds used for the deal. Three of Ozawa's current and former aides were indicted Thursday.

Although prosecutors decided not to indict Ozawa, citing insufficient evidence of his involvement, 68 percent of the respondents in the survey believe Ozawa should resign to take responsibility.

The telephone poll also found that 62 percent of DPJ supporters think Ozawa should step down.

The results do not bode well for the DPJ in light of the Upper House election that will be held in the summer.

Eighty-six percent of the respondents said they were not satisfied with Ozawa's explanation of the scandal, while 76 percent said they were dissatisfied with Hatoyama's handling of the scandal, including 65 percent of DPJ supporters.

After the indictments Thursday, Hatoyama told reporters he had no intention of replacing Ozawa.

Asked which party they would vote for in the proportional representation segment if an Upper House election were held now, 34 percent picked the DPJ, compared with 27 percent who selected the opposition Liberal Democratic Party.

In the previous poll on Jan. 16 and 17, 36 percent of the respondents chose the DPJ, while 23 percent said they would vote for the LDP.

Among unaffiliated voters, 22 percent said they would vote for the LDP, higher than the 16 percent for the DPJ.

One dilemma for the DPJ is that Ozawa is noted for his skills in elections, and the party and the government have come to depend on his expertise and experience.

But 74 percent of the respondents said it is "undesirable" for Ozawa to exert influence on the Cabinet, including 69 percent of DPJ supporters.

The DPJ's approval rate stood at 34 percent, down from 36 percent in January, while that for the LDP rose from 16 percent to 18 percent.

The Asahi Shimbun received valid responses from 1,042, or 61 percent, of the 1,704 eligible voters randomly chosen for the survey.