Abe suffers from dipping popularity

TOKYO, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Popularity for Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet dropped for a fourth straight month in February, according to a Japanese daily Tuesday.

Abe's Cabinet approval rating dipped by 3.1 percentage points from the previous month to 45.3 percent in February, according to a survey conducted Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

The disapproval rating was 42.7 percent, up 3.8 percentage points from the previous month.

The newspaper cited the public's doubts over Abe's ability to manage his administration as a factor behind the plunging popularity.

The doubts were mainly caused by Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa's gaffe likening women to "birthing machines," which infuriated women across the country.