Voter support rises for Japan PM

JAPAN: Support for Japanese Premier Taro Aso’s cabinet has risen to more than four points ahead of his opposition rival, who is facing a money scandal, according to a new poll Monday.

Aso must call elections by late September, when the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) hopes to end about a half century of nearly unbroken rule by Aso’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa long led Aso in the polls, but a political donations scandal involving a close aide has sharply reduced Ozawa’s support.

In the latest poll reflecting Aso’s slowly rising fortunes, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said the public approval rating for Aso and his cabinet climbed to 28.7 percent this month from 24.3 percent in April.

Meanwhile the disapproval rating for Ozawa swung higher to 71 percent from 66 percent in the previous survey, the daily reported.

Tokyo, Monday, AFP