Poll P09-23| Asian Opinion Poll Database

Dates Conducted
Afternoon of September 16, 2009 – Late night on September 17, 2009

Methodology
The poll was conducted by telephone beginning the afternoon of September 16 and ending late at night on September 17 with voters from across Japan , whose telephone numbers were selected by a computer at random. Subjects were selected using a three-stage random sampling method (the Asahi RDD). The total number of those polled was 1,812, with 1,054 responses and a 58% response rate. Decimals were rounded up. The numbers in [ ] are the percentages of those polled as compared to the entire population of those who answered. The numbers in ( ) are the results from a poll conducted on August 31 and September 1, 2009.

Disclaimer
The Mansfield Foundation is responsible for the translation of this Asahi Shimbun poll, subject to the Mansfield Foundation Terms of Use

Q1. Do you support or not support the Hatoyama Cabinet?

Support	71%
Do not support	14%

SQ1. Why? Please select one from the following four choices: (The results in the left column are from the 71% who answered “support,” and the results in the right column are from the 14% who answered “do not support.”)

Mr. Hatoyama is the Prime Minister	8% [6]	4% [1]
The cabinet is primarily composed of DPJ members	27% [19]	27% [4]
Policies of the cabinet	46% [33]	41% [6]
The ministers in the cabinet	13% [9]	23% [3]

Q2. Which political party do you currently support?

Democratic Party ofJapan	46% (39)
Liberal Democratic Party	15% (22)
New Komeito	3% (6)
JapanCommunist Party	3% (3)
Social Democratic Party	1% (1)
Your Party	1% (1)
The People’s New Party	0% (0)
The New Party ofJapan	0% (0)
Other party	0% (1)
Do not support any party	29% (22)
No Answer/Do not know	2% (5)

Q3. As you evaluate the members of the Hatoyama Cabinet, do you approve or not approve of the new cabinet?

Approve	52%
Do not approve	14%

Q4. The following questions concern the various policies that the DPJ promised during the House of Representatives general election. Do you think the promise to provide families with young children a monthly allowance should be realized or should not be realized?

Should be realized	60%
Should not be realized	30%

Q5. Do you think that the policy of not charging public highway tolls should be realized or should not be realized?

Should be realized	24%
Should not be realized	67%

Q6. Do you think the standardization of the pension system with a minimum pension allowance of 70,000 yen per month should be realized or should not be realized?

Should be realized	75%
Should not be realized	16%

Q7. Do you think the abolition of the gasoline tax should be realized or should not realized?

Should be realized	56%
Should not be realized	30%

Q8. Now that the administration has changed and is centered around the DPJ, do you think politicians will take a stronger leadership role over the bureaucrats or not?

Stronger leadership role	49%
Will not take stronger leader role	32%

Q9. Now that the administration is centered around the DPJ, do you think the fiscal waste can be reduced or not reduced?

Can reduce fiscal waste	61%
Cannot reduce fiscal waste	26%

Q10. Now that the administration is centered around the DPJ, do you think relations with the United States will improve, worsen, or not change?

Improve	8%
Worsen	14%
Not change	71%

Q11. Ichiro Ozawa has been appointed as secretary general of the DPJ. Do you approve or not approve of Mr. Hatoyama’s appointment of Mr. Ozawa as secretary general?

Approve	45%
Do not approve	40%

Q12. The Hatoyama Cabinet consists of a coalition of the DPJ, the Social Democratic Party and the People’s New Party. Do you think Prime Minister Hatoyama should incorporate the opinions of the Social Democratic Party and the People’s New Party as much as possible or not?

Incorporate as much as possible	61%
Do not incorporate	31%

Asahi Shimbun September 2009 Emergency Public Opinion Poll - The Start of the Hatoyama Cabinet