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OPINION POLL (P05-9)

June 2005 Nikkei Regular Telephone Opinion Poll

Dates Conducted

June 16-19, 2005

Released

June 20, 2005

Methodology

The Nikkei Shimbun regularly conducts public opinion polls on attitudes toward the government and domestic policy issues. The telephone poll surveyed 1,704 males and females over the age of 20 throughout Japan.

Key Issues

• Support for Prime Minister Koizumi
• Postal privatization
• Prime Minister Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni Shrine

Link to Original Source

http://www.nikkei-r.co.jp/nikkeipoll/results.html

Disclaimer

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

Q1. Do you support the Koizumi cabinet or not? (N=1704)

Support	48%
Don't support	39%
Can't say/don't know	13%

Q1SQ1. For those who answered “support” in Q1, what is the reason for your support? Please choose as many as apply. (N=811)

Because it is an LDP cabinet	16%
Good policies	14%
Good sense in international affairs	14%
Leadership	25%
Stability	18%
Can trust personality	28%
Clean	14%
Others	10%
Can't say/don't know	6%

Q1SQ2. For those who answered “don’t support” in Q1, what is the reason for your non-support? Please choose as many as apply. (N=663)

Because it is an LDP cabinet	16%
Bad policies	42%
Bad sense in international affairs	37%
Lack of leadership	25%
Instability	23%
Cannot trust personality	28%
Not clean	5%
Others	6%
Can't say/don't know	5%

Q2. Which political party do you currently support? Please choose one. (N=1704)

Liberal Democratic Party	33%
Democratic Party of Japan	13%
New Komeito	3%
Japanese Communist Party	2%
Social Democratic Party	2%
Others	0%
Don't support any party	42%
Can't say/don't know	5%

Q2SQ. For those who answered “don’t support any party” or “can’t say/don’t know” in Q2, if you have to choose one party, which party do you feel is most preferable? (N=802)

Liberal Democratic Party	15%
Democratic Party of Japan	15%
New Komeito	1%
Japanese Communist Party	4%
Social Democratic Party	2%
Others	1%
Don't support any party	49%
Can't say/don't know	12%

[Support + preferable parties (N=1704)]

Liberal Democratic Party	40%
Democratic Party of Japan	20%
New Komeito	4%
Japanese Communist Party	4%
Social Democratic Party	3%
Others	1%
Don't support any party	23%
Can't say/don't know	6%

Q3. What policy issues do you want the Koizumi cabinet to prioritize? Please choose as many as apply from the following 15 answers. (N=1704)

Economy	31%
Fiscal reform	19%
Tax reform	20%
Administrative reform/deregulation	8%
Diplomacy/national security issues	23%
Social security issues including pension and welfare	51%
Employment	23%
Education	21%
Reforms in political systems	13%
Postal privatization	14%
So called "Sanmi ittai" or triple reform of central and local governments taxing systems	13%
Local economy revitalization	15%
Constitutional issues	10%
Environmental issues	17%
Safety/crime control	20%
Others	1%
Can't say/don't know	15%

Q4. Discussions on postal privatization are moving forward in the Diet. What do you think about the Koizumi cabinet’s postal revitalization? Please choose one of the following two answers. (N=1704)

Should privatize	41%
Need not privatize	37%
Can't say/don't know	23%

Q5. Prime Minister Koizumi has indicated the possibility of dissolving the Lower House and elections in case the Postal Privatization Bill does not pass in this Diet session. What do you think about Prime Minister’s political posture like this? Please choose one of the following three answers. (N=1704)

Support Prime Minister's posture	22%
Should not persist on enactment within this Diet session, and should gain understanding from opposition parties as well for enactment	44%
Oppose to enactment of the Postal Privatization Bill	15%
Can't say/don't know	18%

Q6. Prime Minister Koizumi has shown his philosophy that he visits the Yasukuni Shrine every year. What do you think about that? Please select one from the following two answers. (N=1704)

Support	38%
Oppose	42%
Can't say/don't know	20%

Q6SQ1. For those who answered “support” in Q6, what are the reasons of your support for Prime Minister’s visits to the Yasukuni Shrine? Please choose one of the following three answers. (N=650)

Because it is important to console the sole of war dead who lost their lives for the country	56%
Because it is wrong to cease the visit for oppositions from neighboring countries	21%
Because individuals' religious beliefs should be respected	21%
Can't say/don't know	1%

Q6SQ2. For those who answered “oppose” in Q6, what are the reasons of your opposition against Prime Minister’s visits to the Yasukuni Shrine? Please choose one of the following three answers. (N=718)

Because it leads to deteriorated relationships with neighboring countries	69%
Because it violates the principle of separation of religion and politics under the Constitution	12%
Because the Yasukuni Shrine is a symbol of militarism during the war	16%
Can't say/don't know	3%

Q7. Recently China and Korea are opposing to Japan’s gaining a permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council for history issues, and so forth. What do you think about China’s and Korea’s posture like this? Please choose one from the following three answers. (N=1704)

Natural for the two countries	10%
Regrettable though it is somewhat inevitable	42%
Feel strong objection to the two countries	29%
Can't say/don't know	19%

Q8. Prime Minister Koizumi’s tenure as the president of the Liberal Democratic Party will end in September 2006. What framework of administration do you think would be appropriate as a post Koizumi cabinet administration? Please choose one from the following five answers. (N=1704)

Continuation of LDP-Komeito coalition administration	21%
LDP single-party administration	9%
LDP-DPJ large coalition administration	24%
DPJ single-party administration	6%
Non-LDP coalition administration centered around DPJ	15%
Others	1%
Can't say/don't know	24%

Q9. Who do you think is an appropriate “next Prime Minister” as a successor of Prime Minister Koizumi? Please choose one of the following. (N=1704)

Taro Aso	2%
Shinzo Abe	34%
Masahiko Komura	2%
Sadakazu Tanigaki	1%
Takeo Hiranuma	1%
Yasuo Fukuda	5%
Katsuya Okada	6%
Ichiro Ozawa	7%
Naoto Kan	8%
Others	3%
Can't say/don't know	32%

Q10. As a measure to save energy, the government is expanding its “Cool Biz” campaign that recommends no-tie and no-jacket in summer. What do you think about it? Please choose one from the following three answers. (N=1704)

Should spread this campaign nationally, including private companies	38%
Should do it within government agencies and let private companies decide on their own	35%
Oppose to it since it could be rude to others	9%
Can't say/don't know	18%

F1. Gender (judged by interviewers, N=1704)

Male	45%
Female	55%
Unknown	0%

F2. Age (N=1704)

20s	8%
30s	19%
40s	17%
50s	22%
60s	18%
Over 70	15%
Refuse to answer	2%

F3. What is your occupation? Please choose one from the following. (N=1704)

Agriculture, forestry, fishery	4%
Employed (corporate employee, bureaucrat, teacher, etc.)	42%
Self-employed (business, engineer), freelance (including family business)	13%
House wife (without any outside job)	20%
Student	2%
Unemployed	15%
Refuse to answer	3%