Takaichi approval falls to 49.1% after farm minister exit

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration recorded 49.1% approval in an Oct. 17-18 poll, its weakest reading since she took office last October, Kyodo News Agency reported Sunday.

The Kyodo poll, reported by The Straits Times on Oct. 18, put Takaichi below 50%, meaning fewer than a majority of respondents approved of her cabinet, after former farm minister Kazuo Yana resigned Wednesday.

Kyodo, a Japanese news agency, said the decline might have been influenced by Takaichi’s handling of Yana’s departure. The report said 57.7% of respondents viewed her decision to replace him as “too late,” while 81.5% said his resignation was natural.

Yana left the farm ministry after criticism over remarks about reducing road funding for municipalities that did not support him, according to the report. Takaichi had appointed him in a cabinet reshuffle last month.

In Japan’s parliamentary system, opinion polls do not directly decide whether a prime minister stays in office; that depends on parliamentary confidence and party backing. Still, falling below the 50% majority line marks a weaker public mandate than above-majority approval earlier in a term.

Takaichi had openly rebuked Yana in parliament after local media first reported his road-funding comments earlier this month, the report said. No next poll date or formal parliamentary step was reported.

Source: news report, The Straits Times – Asia, Oct. 18, 2026