May 7, 2008
The Fukuda Cabinet Sinks to 20% Approval Rating
Political leadership that ignores its voters will not survive; it had better hurry up and set things right.

This was on the front page of the May 2 Asahi Shimbun: "The Fukuda Cabinet Approval Rating Hits New Low of 20%" and "The Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Democratic Party have swapped places when it comes to voter support."
The Fukuda cabinet's approval rating is 20% and its disapproval rating is 59%. The voters are not about to forgive the cabinet's disregard of public sentiment.
Here are the headlines on the front page of the Nikkei Shimbun for May 2: "Fukuda Cabinet Approval Rating Plummets to 21%" and "Support for Political Parties: LDP ? 33%; DPJ ? 36%."
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has come to the moment of truth when he has to seriously decide what his next move is going to be. He can't swim against the tide of public opinion forever. He needs to realize that the time has come to make some sort of distinction for himself.
He can't ignore the public any longer.