Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers a question in parliament in Tokyo last week. | AFP-JIJI
Jul 21, 2026
Approval ratings for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dropped in the latest polls as she pushed ahead with some divisive bills despite voters’ concerns about the cost of living.
Support for Takaichi’s government decreased to 53% from 60% in June in an Asahi Shimbun poll, while broadcaster ANN found her popularity fell over 10 points to 49.2%. A separate Mainichi Shimbun survey saw a similar-sized drop to 41%. All three were conducted over the weekend after the government passed a number of controversial bills into law, including one that effectively shuts women out from inheriting Japan’s imperial throne.
At the same time, in the Asahi poll, 57% of respondents said they thought Takaichi wasn’t doing enough to counter inflation, the highest level since she took office. While Takaichi has stuck to her pledge to cut the sales tax on food for two years, she’s pushed out the timeline for discussions on the proposal.
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