TOKYO, March 27 (UPI) -- The approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet has risen to 48 percent, a rise of three percentage points from a February survey.
The Japanese business newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun conducted the telephone survey of 846 households with eligible voters from Friday to Sunday. The results showed that the Cabinet's disapproval rating had dipped three percentage points to 40 percent.
The approval rating has been rising since the dismissal of the lower house last August, but several issues, such as the suspension of U.S. beef imports, caused a decline of 14 percentage points at the previous survey in February.
Asked why they support the Cabinet, 40 percent cited leadership abilities. Among those who said they do not support the Cabinet, 44 percent said they disagree with its policies and 36 percent said the Cabinet lacks international sensibility, the newspaper reported.
