Overview
- The Kyodo telephone poll conducted June 20–21 showed Cabinet approval at 55.8%, the lowest since Sanae Takaichi took office, and a 5.5 percentage-point drop from May.
- Voters prefer quicker relief on food and beverage costs, with 43.9% backing a cut to 1% for faster rollout and 22.6% backing a move to zero regardless of delay.
- An LDP tax policy chief has proposed a practical compromise to cut the food and beverage consumption tax to 1% for two years starting April 2027 because retailers need time to reprogram cash registers for a zero rate.
- Public caution on security was clear after the US–Iran preliminary peace deal, with 54.7% saying there is no need to send the Japan Self‑Defense Forces to the Strait of Hormuz to protect shipping.
- The fall in support tightens the political window for Takaichi to deliver near-term cost relief for households while managing party divisions and the wider debate over imperial-family succession.