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Support for Japan PM dives to around 20 percent
By MARI YAMAGUCHI,Associated Press Writer AP - Monday, December 8
TOKYO - Public support for Japan's government has nose-dived amid a series of gaffes by the prime minister and disappointment over his efforts to revive the sputtering economy, newspaper polls showed Monday.
The weekend surveys by three major newspapers, the Yomiuri, Mainichi and Asahi, also showed backing for the top opposition leader, Ichiro Ozawa, rising above Prime Minister Taro Aso's for the first time.
The polls signaled serious trouble for the wisecracking Aso, who took the helm of Japan's unpopular ruling party in September in hopes of reviving public support ahead of parliamentary elections next year.
Aso apologized last week for criticizing the elderly as a tax burden _ shortly after he had accused doctors of lacking common sense, angering Japan's largest medical association.
The Yomiuri survey showed support for Aso's Cabinet plunged to 20.9 percent from 40.5 in the last survey in November. Disapproval of his government surged 25 percentage points to 66.7 percent.
The Mainichi poll had support for Aso's Cabinet dropping 15 points to 21 percent, and the Asahi had backing falling the same amount, down to 22 percent. Both papers showed a spike in disapproval ratings.
Yukio Hatoyama, a leading figure in the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, argued that the polls amounted to a public no confidence vote in Aso's government.
"The disappointment and disgust over the fact that there's a political vacuum has caused the plunge in the support rating," he told reporters.
Polls showed rising support for DPJ leader Ozawa. The opposition leader had 36 percent support in the Yomiuri versus 29 percent for Aso. In the Asahi, the spread was 35 percent for Ozawa, 30 percent for the prime minister.
Japan's economy, the world's second-largest economy, has slid into recession with sales of Japanese cars and other exports pounded hard by the global financial crisis.
The Yomiuri telephone poll interviewed 1,091 randomly selected eligible voters on Dec. 5-7. The Mainichi telephoned 1,031 eligible voters on Dec. 6-7, while the Asahi called 2,074 respondents using similar methods.
None of them gave a margin of error, but a survey of that size would generally have a margin of plus or minus three percentage points.
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