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opinion poll taken since a massive quake and tsunami devastated the nation, with nearly two-thirds of respondents favouring a tax hike for reconstruction.
But more than half disapproved of how the crisis involving a stricken nuclear power plant has been handled, a survey published by Kyodo news agency showed yesterday. Kan’s approval rate rose 8.4 percentage points to 28.3 percent from the previous mid-February survey, with 67,5 percent saying they supported a tax increase to help fund recovery efforts for the devastated northeast region.
Yet 58,2 percent did not approve of how the government was dealing with the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plan, which was battered by the March 11 quake, Japan’s strongest ever, and subsequent tsunami.
Prior to the quake, Kan’s voter approval rating had sunk to around 20 percent, opposition parties were blocking budget bills to force a snap election that his Democratic Party was at risk of losing, and critics inside the DPJ were pressing him to quit.
Since the disaster, the pressure on Kan has faded as critics inside and outside the ruling party tried to avoid the appearance of exploiting the crisis for political gain. – Reuters.