Public support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has fallen to 20 percent, its lowest level since April 2001 when the current method of gauging opinion started.
A weekend telephone poll of eligible voters chosen at random by The Asahi Shimbun produced 1,064 valid answers.
The survey was conducted ahead of Tuesday's dissolution of the Lower House for a snap election to be held Aug. 30.
The party had 24 percent support in the previous survey conducted July 4 and 5.
The latest poll found that support for the main opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), which is widely expected to seize power in next month's election, rose to 31 percent from 25 percent.
Asked "Which party would you vote for in proportional representation constituencies if the Lower House election was held now," 42 percent cited Minshuto against 19 percent for the LDP.
The support rate for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso stood at 17 percent, down from 20 percent.
The support rate for the LDP exceeded 40 percent for a while after the last Lower House election held in September 2005.
It then started to plummet, reaching what was then a historic low of 21 percent immediately after the July 2007 Upper House election.
The ruling party, which was then headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, suffered a major setback in that election.
Afterward, however, the support rate rose again. When the Aso Cabinet came into being in September 2008, it stood at 34 percent.
In July 1998, support for the LDP, which was formed in 1955, marked an all-time low of 19 percent in a poll using a different method of gauging public opinion. That poll was taken during the dying days of the Cabinet then headed by Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.
The 31-percent support rate for Minshuto in the latest survey is the third-highest following 34 percent recorded in July 2007 and 32 percent a month later.
The latest survey asked respondents whether the LDP's internal bickering over calls to hold a party presidential election ahead of the Lower House ballot had changed their impression of the party. Fifty percent replied that their impression had worsened, while 43 percent said it had not changed.
Even among LDP supporters, 43 percent said their impression had worsened.
Asked whether they wanted an administration centered around the LDP to continue or one led by Minshuto, 49 percent cited the latter option. Only 22 percent favored an LDP-led administration. In the July 4-5 survey, the percentages were 47 percent and 24 percent, respectively.(IHT/Asahi: July 21,2009)
A weekend telephone poll of eligible voters chosen at random by The Asahi Shimbun produced 1,064 valid answers.
The survey was conducted ahead of Tuesday's dissolution of the Lower House for a snap election to be held Aug. 30.
The party had 24 percent support in the previous survey conducted July 4 and 5.
The latest poll found that support for the main opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), which is widely expected to seize power in next month's election, rose to 31 percent from 25 percent.
Asked "Which party would you vote for in proportional representation constituencies if the Lower House election was held now," 42 percent cited Minshuto against 19 percent for the LDP.
The support rate for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso stood at 17 percent, down from 20 percent.
The support rate for the LDP exceeded 40 percent for a while after the last Lower House election held in September 2005.
It then started to plummet, reaching what was then a historic low of 21 percent immediately after the July 2007 Upper House election.
The ruling party, which was then headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, suffered a major setback in that election.
Afterward, however, the support rate rose again. When the Aso Cabinet came into being in September 2008, it stood at 34 percent.
In July 1998, support for the LDP, which was formed in 1955, marked an all-time low of 19 percent in a poll using a different method of gauging public opinion. That poll was taken during the dying days of the Cabinet then headed by Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.
The 31-percent support rate for Minshuto in the latest survey is the third-highest following 34 percent recorded in July 2007 and 32 percent a month later.
The latest survey asked respondents whether the LDP's internal bickering over calls to hold a party presidential election ahead of the Lower House ballot had changed their impression of the party. Fifty percent replied that their impression had worsened, while 43 percent said it had not changed.
Even among LDP supporters, 43 percent said their impression had worsened.
Asked whether they wanted an administration centered around the LDP to continue or one led by Minshuto, 49 percent cited the latter option. Only 22 percent favored an LDP-led administration. In the July 4-5 survey, the percentages were 47 percent and 24 percent, respectively.(IHT/Asahi: July 21,2009)
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