Kishida celebrates 1,000 days in office; Despite his political achievements, he struggles with low grades

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida celebrated his 1,000th day in office on Saturday, but despite his political achievements, he still struggles with low public support.

Kishida is tackling issues that have remained unresolved since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration, such as measures to drastically strengthen defense capabilities and restart nuclear power plants. He is also proud of his success in trying to promote diplomatic and economic policies, but this has not led the public to give him high marks.

It was noted that Kishida had failed to cooperate with members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and other entities and had failed to provide the public with necessary explanations.

Asked by reporters on Friday how he felt about his term as prime minister, Kishida said: “I am still tense because I am dealing with many problems both at home and abroad.”

As for the LDP presidential race this fall, Kishida, who is expected to try to keep his position as LDP chairman, went no further than saying: “I’m doing everything I can to get results on issues that cannot be postpone, such as political reforms and economic problems.”

Kishida’s greatest achievement is the revision of three documents, including the National Security Strategy, which explains the country’s counterattack capability and increased defense spending, marking a turning point in the government’s post-war security policy.

In the area of ​​nuclear energy policy, Kishida announced his intention to promote the resumption of nuclear power plant operations and to consider the construction of new nuclear reactors. It also decided to release purified water stored at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean.

Kishida has aimed to free the economy from deflation altogether, and the highest average wage increases in 33 years were achieved in this year’s shunto spring wage negotiations. The Nikkei stock average also hit its highest level in about 34 years.

Calling for “extraordinary measures to address the low birth rate,” Kishida also amended the law to create a fund to support children and their upbringing.

The initial success was not maintained

However, these achievements did not directly improve the Cabinet’s approval rating.

According to a nationwide survey by The Yomiuri Shimbun, Kishida’s cabinet’s approval rating, which was 56% at the time of its inauguration, temporarily rose to 66% due to the prime minister’s “surprise announcements” such as bringing forward the House of Representatives elections to October 2021 and banning the entry of non-resident foreigners into the country following the outbreak of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in November of the same year.

Approval ratings dropped after it was discovered that several LDP lawmakers had ties to the Unification Church, officially known as the Federation of Families for World Peace and Unification, following the shooting of Abe in July 2022. The alleged attacker was the so-called “second generation believers” – people whose lives are believed to have been destroyed by excessive donations made by their parents to a religious group and abuses they suffered in the name of religion. Abe was targeted because of his alleged ties to the group.

The government’s approval rating has remained at 20% since November last year following alleged violations of the Law on the Control of Political Funds by LDP factions.

No communication

Kishida’s way of presenting decisions and policies in a sudden and violent manner has sometimes caused confusion within the LDP.

His decision to disband the Kishida faction without sufficient consultation with senior party officials in the wake of the political funds law scandal and his presence at the lower house’s Deliberative Council on Political Ethics sparked a backlash from LDP members. A senior LDP member said Kishida “acted arbitrarily.”

The lack of communication between Kishida and Komeito, the LDP’s coalition partner, was also evident. They were in conflict over the adjustment of constituencies for the lower house elections.

Kishida’s repeated concessions during discussions on amendments to the Political Funds Control Act also caused friction between him and LDP Vice President Taro Aso, who is a “supporter” of Kishida. Kishida bowed to pressure from other parties, including Komeito and the opposition Japan Innovation Party, during the last regular session of the Diet.

The turmoil in Kishida’s administration could be seen by the public as a sign of his lack of leadership. “Unfortunately, he failed to make efforts to carefully lay the groundwork (to gain the necessary understanding among LDP members and others) and offer the public the necessary explanations,” a senior government official said.