The Japanese public has upped the pressure on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's administration, with a Kyodo News poll finding Sunday that 64.9% of respondents disapprove of a recently announced plan to raise taxes to finance a substantial increase in the nation's defense spending.
The support rate for his Cabinet remained at 33.1%, the same as last month's survey and the lowest since its launch last year. The disapproval rating was almost unchanged at 51.5%.
On Friday, Kishida announced Japan's new security strategy to forge ahead with its biggest defense buildup program since World War II amid China's rise and North Korea's nuclear threats.