October 24, 2025
TOKYO – The younger generations think far more highly of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet than that of former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun opinion poll conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday.
GRAPHICS: THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN
The percentage of respondents who support the Takaichi Cabinet reached 80% among those aged 18 to 39, compared to 15% in the September survey conducted for the previous Cabinet.
Support among respondents aged 40 to 59 also hit 75%, up from 29% in the previous survey. Among those aged 60 and over, the support rate was 63%, up from 50%.
The Ishiba Cabinet received relatively stronger support from older generations, while the Takaichi Cabinet is bolstered by younger people, the survey indicated.
In recent years, the trend of strong support among the young is closer to the dynamics seen during the second Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
By gender, 71% of men and 72% of women responded that they support the new Cabinet. In the previous survey conducted for the Ishiba Cabinet, the figures were 30% for men and 37% for women.
Nationwide support for the Takaichi Cabinet is about 70%. After the Chubu region at 81%, the Kinki region came in at 76%, marking a significant rise from 29% in the previous survey.
This is believed to partly reflect the fact that Takaichi is from Nara Prefecture and that a coalition has been formed with the Japan Innovation Party led by Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura. The coalition may be proving effective.
The Ishiba Cabinet had relatively weak support in the Kinki region.
When asked to choose one reason for supporting the Cabinet, out of six options, “expectations for its policies” was the top choice at 41%. This was followed by “no suitable alternative” at 20%, “the prime minister demonstrates leadership” at 15% and “the prime minister is trustworthy” at 12%.
“It is a Liberal Democratic Party-dominated government” was chosen by 5%, and “the lineup of Cabinet ministers is good” by 4%.
The top reason for not supporting the Cabinet was “it is an LDP-dominated government” at 28%, followed by “no expectations for its policies” at 19%. “The prime minister is untrustworthy” came in at 18%, “there are better candidates” at 11%, “the lineup of Cabinet ministers is unsatisfactory” at 10%, and “the prime minister lacks leadership” at 3%, according to the survey.