(Bloomberg) -- Support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was at 49% in a survey by a major newspaper, the lowest for a new leader in 13 years and an ominous sign as he heads into a national election in a little over three weeks.
The Mainichi newspaper survey that published Tuesday, a day after Kishida took office, found support plumbed depths for an incoming premier not seen since Taro Aso scored 45% when he took over as leader amid the financial crisis in 2008. Aso served less than a year and his long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party was then ousted from power.
Asked whether they had positive expectations for Kishida's cabinet, 51% of respondents said they did not, while 21% said they did, the Mainichi survey showed. More than half of respondents said they didn't approve of the appointment of Akira Amari, a member of Aso's faction who is also seen as a close confidant of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as the LDP's No. 2.
Kishida fared better in a poll by Kyodo News that put support for his cabinet at 55.7%, which was lower than the 66.4% tallied by his predecessor Yoshihide Suga just after he took over about a year ago. Suga dropped a plan to run for re-election as his support slid amid criticism of his handling of the pandemic.
Kishida has called for a general election on Oct. 31 that could set the tone for his tenure. Due to the LDP's powerful political machine, the premier's ruling coalition is all but certain to retain a parliamentary majority, but any major gains by the opposition could hobble Kishida from the start, and increase the odds he joins a long list of short-serving premiers.
Japan's Kishida Appointed Prime Minister, Calls Oct. 31 Election
Kishida defeated three rivals to become LDP leader, even though he wasn't the most popular choice with the public or the party's rank-and-file. Suga's cabinet boasted approval of 64% when he took over just over a year ago, the Mainichi said, falling to 37% just before he stepped down.
The Mainichi poll was conducted by phone Monday and Tuesday, and 1,035 valid responses were obtained, the newspaper said, without providing details on a margin of error.
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