politics

Support for Abe rises, boosting chance at historic tenure

35 Comments
By Linda Sieg

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PM Abe must win September vote as lot of Japan's future depends on his winning the third term.

-29 ( +0 / -29 )

Japan's future... going further down the drain.

21 ( +22 / -1 )

Hahahahahaha!!!!!

15 ( +15 / -0 )

His tenure still continue because the 75 days passed and it is a quote in Japan that people have tendency to forget all "rumors" ( of his scandals).

13 ( +13 / -0 )

Oh ho fickle voters are.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

Question: How come in Japan the news wants me to believe that....

Good news: PM ratings up 10 points

Bad news: PM ratings down 10 points

It seems like every month they reflect on Abe with the measuring rod of a scandal (or lack of one) and like clockwork the “ratings” change.

I call nonsense on this.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

Breaks the law, lies, lies again, then doesn't take the blame. What is wrong with you Japan?

21 ( +21 / -0 )

Collective dementia.....

15 ( +15 / -0 )

God forbid.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

60% of the votes for Abe’s re-election are already counted with his business cronies. 30% of the adult population won’t even bother to vote. There is only 10% of the population to be concerned about. No need for him to worry at all.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Breaks the law, lies, lies again, then doesn't take the blame. What is wrong with you Japan?

Don't blame Japan, blame the media, including one's here, for failing to keep ABe's feet to the fire!

9 ( +9 / -0 )

What support ? What kind of support ? What is the assumption of the support ? Japan needs a new face, an unconventional figure, a realist, and above all a peaceful and constitutional PM, unless Japan is satisfied with the corrupted and tourist govt.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Excellent but not surprising news. The Japanese public are not stupid, unlike what many posters here think. They know PM Abe gets the job done, and internationally is a world leader Japanese can look up to.”Summit King”.

PM Abe is one of, if not the most popular leaders Worldwide. 52% approval is very high. Compare that to Trump, Therese May, Angela Merkel and Justin Trudeau. He puts them in the shade. Stay the course, PM Abe. Japan is counting on you for at least 5 more years.

-16 ( +1 / -17 )

What ever my opinion is, he obviously is doing something the Japanese people like. They are the ones who will vote and they are the ones his policies are aimed at. The rest of us don’t count!

-8 ( +1 / -9 )

If people think Abe & Co's various scandals, lies and BS = stable, I weep for their understanding of stability.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Ganbare Japan is a better optimistic loser than Abe, and should be a better PM than Abe too.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Mr. Abe is doing MUCH better than his first time around as PM, when I lived in Japan, when he was in office for, like, six months...

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

The Japanese public are not stupid, unlike what many posters here think. 

I agree, the Japanese public are not stupid. Unfortunately the JapNese public seem to be easily hoodwinked.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Are the Japanese really so blinkered or is this simply government controlled media’s spin?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

englisc aspyrgendJune 25 11:09 pm JST

What ever my opinion is, he obviously is doing something the Japanese people like.

He is doing something a large minority of the Japanese people like. Political candidates here can win in single seat constituencies even if most people don't vote for them. The only reasons for supporting him given are his "global view and the stability of his government," so his supporters clearly have pretty low standards.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Shinzo Abe is the best man for the job. He has an impressive track record. The last 6 six years Japan has done well. This is Shinzo Abe's record over the lat six years:

1) The economy is now 10 % bigger than it was in 2012.

2) Unemployment rate at record low.

3) Corp profits at record high.

4) Household net wealth at record low.

5) Childhood poverty has been reduced.

6) Japan -EU trade pact

7) TPP

8) Collective self defense

9) Increased Japan defense spending.

10 Japan -US relations the best its been

11) Japan India relations the best its been

12) Improved Japan-China relations

13)Improved Japan-Korea relations.

14) Formed the quad with Australia, India, and the US to ensure a rules based order in the Indo-pacific.

15) Approved Aegis Ashore to protect Japan from NK missiles.

16) Building a new base in Okinawa to protect Japan from China, thus improved relations with the US.

17 Passed Anti-Hate Speech laws.

18)Signed the Hage convention on Child abductions.

19) Extend Child care leave to two years.

20) Help Win the Olympics for Tokyo 2020.

Shinzo Abe is truly an effective leader. Japan is proud of him and he is proud of Japan.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

econstatsToday 08:47 am JST

Shinzo Abe is the best man for the job. He has an impressive track record. The last 6 six years Japan has done well. This is Shinzo Abe's record over the lat six years:

1)...

No sign of that "third arrow" or the "virtuous cycle" of increased profits, better wages and more domestic consumption on this list you keep re-posting.

Japan is proud of him and he is proud of Japan.

Going by the opinions given in those polls I think it would be more accurate to say some people in Japan tolerate him. Other people despise him. Apart from you and Ganbare Japan no one is exactly singing his praises.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

"better wages and more domestic consumption on this list you keep re-posting."

Slow wage growth is problem for every G-7 country and the resaons are simple; Automation, globalization are keeping wages low.

Apart from you and Ganbare Japan no one is exactly singing his praises.

You mean the readers of the Japan Today.

Apart from you and Ganbare Japan no one is exactly singing his praises.

and the 27 million Japanese who voted for the LDP in 2017 election.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Well done, Abe!

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@econostats - quoting your own stats doesn't make them real. In fact, they're the pretty far-fetched!

As for this 'poll' - how many were questioned? 500 like last week?

I just asked a few people in my company what they think of Abe. Let's just say, if their answers are typical for the average Japanese voter, his ratings are lower than a skirting board!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Pray for Japan

1 ( +1 / -0 )

econstatsToday  09:53 am JST

"better wages and more domestic consumption on this list you keep re-posting."

Slow wage growth is problem for every G-7 country and the resaons are simple; Automation, globalization are keeping wages low.

So in other words one of the cornerstones of Abe's policies is a promise he cannot possibly keep.

"Apart from you and Ganbare Japan no one is exactly singing his praises."

and the 27 million Japanese who voted for the LDP in 2017 election.

27 million voters thought Abe was highly effective and successful? Got anything to back up that rather remarkable claim? Looks more like wishful thinking to me. I always thought that most of those 27 million Japanese would have voted LDP out of inertia, no matter who the PM was, or because they liked their local LDP candidate, or because there was literally no one else to vote for; in the over-represented semi-rural area where I live the CDPJ, SDP, DP and SDP did not actually run candidates. I certainly do not recall reading or hearing anywhere that Abe was as highly regarded as you allege.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Nikkei is supporter of Abe government

Nikkei,Yomiuri and Sankei have been pointed "induction" about public opinion poll.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

27 million voters thought Abe was highly effective and successful? Got anything to back up that rather remarkable claim?

5)2017 General election - lower house - won by the LDP headed by Shinzo Abe

4)2016 Upper house elections -won by the LDP headed by Shinzo Abe

3)2014 General elections -lower house- won by the LDP headed by Shinzo Abe

2)2013 General elections-upper house- won by the LDP headed by Shinzo Abe.

1)2012 General elections- lower house- won by the LDP headed by Shinzo Abe.

5 general election wins in 5 years. All won by Shinzo Abe's LDP.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

"I certainly do not recall reading or hearing anywhere that Abe was as highly regarded as you allege."

Your logical fallacy is anecdotal. You used a personal experience or an isolated example instead of a sound argument or compelling evidence.

It's often much easier for people to believe someone's testimony as opposed to understanding complex data and variation across a continuum. For example 5 election wins in 5 years Quantitative scientific measures for example the number of elections win are almost always more accurate than personal perceptions and experiences, but our inclination is to believe that which is tangible to us, and/or the word of someone we trust over a more 'abstract' statistical reality.

For example:

"I certainly do not recall reading or hearing anywhere that Abe was as highly regarded as you allege."

Now compare the below argument which uses data to the above argument which uses anecdotal reasoning :

5)2017 General election - lower house - won by the LDP headed by Shinzo Abe

4)2016 Upper house elections -won by the LDP headed by Shinzo Abe

3)2014 General elections -lower house- won by the LDP headed by Shinzo Abe

2)2013 General elections-upper house- won by the LDP headed by Shinzo Abe.

1)2012 General elections- lower house- won by the LDP headed by Shinzo Abe.

5 general election wins in 5 years. All won by Shinzo Abe's LDP.

Which argument is more believable?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

econstatsToday  07:37 pm JST

The LDP were routinely winning elections well before 2012. I believe Abe was able to keep winning because of all the reasons I cited. I was asking you to back up your claim that he won because he was widely popular for being effective and competent. Thus far you haven't.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"The LDP were routinely winning elections well before 2012"

 the August 2009 general election,[13] at which the DPJ swept the LDP from power in a massive landslide, winning 308 seats (out of a total of 480 seats), reducing the LDP from 300 to 119 seats.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

econstatsToday 06:19 am JST

the August 2009 general election,[13] at which the DPJ swept the LDP from power in a massive landslide, winning 308 seats (out of a total of 480 seats), reducing the LDP from 300 to 119 seats.

That's just one result. Out of all the general elections the LDP has contested since it was founded, how many has it won?

Besides the DPJ turned out to be so hopeless, both in government and opposition, that the LDP could probably keep winning no matter who they have as leader. Abe himself said in 2012 the LDP's return to power was less a reflection of their popularity than the DPJ's unpopularity.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"Abe himself said in 2012 the LDP's return to power was less a reflection of their popularity than the DPJ's unpopularity"

Because he was being humble in the face of huge victory, which is very Japanese.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

econstatsToday 04:24 pm JST

"Abe himself said in 2012 the LDP's return to power was less a reflection of their popularity than the DPJ's unpopularity"

Because he was being humble in the face of huge victory, which is very Japanese.

Humble - and honest. The DPJ were such a sorry lot in 2012 just about any LDP leader could have got the same result, even one that most ordinary party members didn't vote for in the first round of the leadership election. Since then it's been pretty easy to pull off more big wins when the only other party that can field as many candidates (the JCP, with 292 single seat candidates in 2014 and 206 in 2017) gets hardly any votes. I'll be impressed when Abe manages a huge victory against a formidable opponent, so far he hasn't.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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