Japan PM Kishida Approval Rating Drops on Fukushima, National ID Woes
upport for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidaβs cabinet fell, amid concerns over problems with a national ID card and the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear site.
A survey carried out by Kyodo News found support had slumped by 6.5 percentage points on the previous poll to 34.4%, nearing the lowest level since Kishida took office in 2021. A separate poll by the Asahi newspaper found the approval rate had fallen 5 percentage points to 37%, also near a low of 34%.
Polls cited reasons including continued troubles over the overhaul of a national ID card, and insufficient explanation over the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear site.
Last month Kishida promised the public he would fix problems with the introduction of a national ID card that is set to be made essentially compulsory from next autumn, and has raised concerns about data breaches.
Unease over cases where people have found their ID cards linked to personal information about unrelated individuals has added to pressure on Kishida.