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YOMIURI SHIMBUN DECEMBER 2007 OPINION POLLS (P07-38)

Yomiuri Shimbun December 2007 Opinion Polls

Dates Conducted

December 8-9, 2007

Released

Publishing date not available

Copyright

Yomiuri Shimbun

Methodology

Yomiuri conducted the poll in individual interviews on December 8 and 9, 2007, using a stratified two-stage random sample of 3,000 voters in 250 different locations. 1,773 people, or 59.1% of those selected, responded.

Key Issues

Evaluation of the Fukuda administration/Cabinet
Expiration of Maritime Self Defense Forces refueling activities law
Possibility of overriding Upper House's rejection in Lower House
Stress and mental health

Disclaimer

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

Q1. Do you support or not support the Fukuda cabinet?

Support	52.5% (52.2)
Do not support	35.3% (36.0)
Other	3.3% (3.3)
Do not know; No answer	9.0% (8.6)

Figures in parentheses are results from polls conducted in November 2007

SQ1. [For those who answered “Support” to Q1]

Please select up to two reasons from the following list for why you support the Fukuda cabinet.

Positively evaluate its political stance	25.7% (28.0)
Feel that it is stable	40.2% (37.6)
Can trust the Prime Minister	27.8% (28.6)
Positively evaluate its economic policies	5.7% ( 7.1)
Positively evaluate its foreign policy	8.1% ( 6.6)
It is a coalition between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Party	7.7% ( 7.4)
Fukuda is an LDP Prime Minister	18.8% (19.7)
It is better than previous cabinets	18.7% (19.4)
Other; Do not know; No answer	3.3%( 4.3)

Figures in parentheses are results from polls conducted in November 2007

SQ2. [Those who answered “Do not support” to Q1 only]

Please select up to two reasons from the following list for why you do not support the Fukuda cabinet:

Cannot positively evaluate its political stance	38.4% (31.2)
Do not feel that the cabinet is stable	24.5% (25.2)
Cannot trust the Prime Minister	22.7% (21.0)
Cannot support the administration’s economic policies	34.6% (29.3)
Cannot support the administration’s foreign policy	11.7% (12.1)
It is a coalition between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Party	17.0% (19.5)
Fukuda is an LDP Prime Minister	8.8%(13.2)
It is worse than previous cabinets	5.6% (4.9)
Other; Do not know; No answer	4.3% (4.8)

Figures in parentheses are results from polls conducted in November 2007

Q2. From list below, please select all applicable issues you would like the Fukuda cabinet to prioritize and address:

Economic conditions/job security	53.0% (55.2)
Fiscal reconstruction	20.6% (19.4)
Tax reform and the issue of the consumption tax	32.1% (31.0)
Social security reform, including pensions and healthcare	61.2% (60.7)
Support for child care and countermeasures for declining birthrates	27.1% (27.0)
Education reform	18.1% (19.1)
Problems of income disparities	25.1% (25.7)
Administrative reform, such as cutting back the number of government employees	17.4% (18.3)
Politics and money issues	35.1% (35.4)
Foreign policy toward Asia, including China and South Korea	11.2% (10.5)
Issues with North Korea	22.3% (20.4)
National defense and security	10.9% (13.7)
Constitutionalrevision	5.2% (5.5)
Disaster prevention and crisis management	8.2% (8.2)
Public safety and crime prevention	18.6% (17.3)
Environmental protection	20.9% (19.8)
Food safety	27.3% (27.2)
Other; Nothing special; Do not know; No answer	2.5% (3.3)

Figures in parentheses are results from polls conducted in November 2007

Q3. Which political party do you support right now? Please select one:

Liberal Democratic Party	35.3% (34.3)
Democratic Party of Japan	17.1% (22.5)
Komeito Party	2.5% (2.7)
Japan Communist Party	2.1% (2.3)
Social Democratic Party of Japan	0.8% (1.1)
The New People’s Party	0.3%(0.2)
The New Party Nippon	0.1% (0.2)
Other	0.2%(0.1)
Do not support any party	40.8% (36.0)
Do not know; No answer	0.7% (0.6)

Figures in parentheses are results from polls conducted in November 2007

Q4. Are you interested in Japan's current politics or not?

Very interested	30.8%
Somewhat interested	44.7%
Not very interested	19.7%
Not interested at all	4.5%
Do not know; No answer	0.3%

Q5. Are you satisfied with the current state of Japanese politics or not?

Very satisfied	1.0%
Somewhat satisfied	14.7%
Somewhat dissatisfied	49.9%
Very dissatisfied	33.1%
Do not know; No answer	1.4%

Q6. Under the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law, Japan's Maritime Self Defense Force vessels were sent to the Indian Ocean to carry out refueling activities in support of the multinational army fighting the war on terror in Afghanistan. However, the law permitting this activity expired on November 1, and their mission was brought to an end. Do you support or are you against the continuation of the Maritime Self Defense Force refueling activities?

Support	47.5%(50.6)
Against	41.1%(40.3)
Do not know; No answer	11.3%( 9.2)

Figures in parentheses are results from polls conducted in November 2007

Q7.To continue the Maritime Self Defense Force refueling activities, the government has submitted a new bill to the Diet that limits MSDF activities to supplying fuel and water; these activities can be renewed for one-year periods without Diet approval. Do you support this bill or not?

Support	44.7% (48.7)
Against	42.6% (38.8)
Do not know; No answer	12.7% (12.5)

Figures in parentheses are results from polls conducted in November 2007

Q8. If the new refueling activities bill is voted down in House of Councillors, the ruling LDP and Komeito coalition, which has a two-thirds majority in the lower house, can hold a second vote in the House of Representatives. Do you think it is appropriate or inappropriate for to hold a second vote in the lower house if a bill is voted down in the upper house?

Appropriate	42.5%
Inappropriate	43.9%
Do not know; No answer	13.6%

Q9. Overall, do you approve of the Democratic Party of Japan's handling of the current session of the Diet or not?

Highly approve	3.6%
Somewhat approve	33.1%
Do not really approve	41.7%
Do not approve at all	15.5%
Do not know; No answer	6.1%

The following questions are related to stress.

Q10. Have you experienced stress lately or not?

Often	24.9% (23.6)
Sometimes	43.0% (36.1)
Not really	22.8% (29.1)
Not at all	8.9% (11.0)
Do not know; No answer	0.3% ( 0.2)

Figures in parentheses are results from polls conducted in November 2007

Q11. What sort of things make you feel stressed? Please choose as many from the following as apply.

Health/physical condition	33.6%
Business with work	28.4%
Lateness or mistakes at work	8.1%
Uncertainty over future of work	18.3%
Interpersonal relationships with boss/coworkers	12.4%
Housework, child raising	11.0%
Relationship with children	5.6%
[Nursing] Care for parents, etc.	8.4%
Family relationships	8.4%
Management of household finances	19.6%
Interpersonal relationships with friends/acquaintances	8.4%
Local/neighborhood relationships	9.9%
Other	2.5%
Do not feel stress	10.5%
Do not know; No answer	4.3%

Q12. When you feel stress, how do you relieve it? Please choose as many from the following as apply.

Exercise, including sports	22.0%
Get absorbed in a hobby	31.5%
Go shopping	16.7%
Eat	14.0%
Drink alcohol	21.0%
Have a chat	26.4%
Ask someone for advice	10.2%
Get sleep	23.6%
Relax	27.5%
Other	1.6%
No way to relieve stress	2.2%
Do not feel stress	10.5%
Do not know; No answer	0.4%

Q13. Ordinarily, do you think you are able to relieve stress effectively or not?

Yes	31.1%
Generally yes	39.4%
Generally no	12.2%
No	5.5%
Do not feel stress	10.5%
Do not know; No answer	1.3%

Q14. Do you ever feel a great amount of stress and gotten very blue, losing interest in everything, or not?

Often	4.5%
Sometimes	23.6%
Not usually	37.2%
Not at all	34.5%
Do not know; No answer	0.1%

Q15. Recently, do you think that people who are down for long periods of time, suffering from depression, etc.--in other words, experiencing breakdown in mental health--are on the rise or not?

Yes	74.5%
No	22.2%
Do not know; No answer	3.3%

Q16. Do you worry that you could suffer from a breakdown of mental health or not?

Often worry	6.9%
Sometimes worry	27.4%
Do not really worry	34.9%
Do not worry at all	30.2%
Do not know; no answer	0.7%

Q17. Hypothetically, if you were to feel unsure about your mental health, what kind of person would you talk to? Choose as many from the following as apply.

Parents	13.9%
Husband/wife	46.5%
Siblings	13.9%
Children	11.3%
Boss/colleague at work	6.3%
Friend/acquaintance	43.1%
Specialist/counselor	18.0%
Other	0.2%
Do not have anyone	7.0%
Do not know; no answer	1.9%

Q18. Hypothetically, if you were to suffer a mental health breakdown, do you have reservations or not about getting medical help from a specialist?

Great reservations	6.7%
Some reservations	26.2%
Do not have much reservation	31.5%
No reservations	33.3%
Do not know; No answer	2.4%

Q19.To support mental health, what kind of efforts do you think the government/corporations need to make? Please choose as many from the following as apply.

Increase places where people can get specialized advice	50.6%
Increase number of specialists/counselors	39.9%
Provide information so individuals can maintain mental health	23.5 %
Increase peoples' awareness of mental health	27.7%
Improve working conditions, e.g. eliminate long working hours	19.7%
Increase management's awareness of mental health at the workplace	0.9%
Other	0.1 %
Nothing in particular	10.0
Do not know; No answer	1.6%

Fundamental Characteristics of the Survey Sample:

Regional Distribution

Hokkaido, Tohoku	12.7%
Kanto	29.4%
Chubu	19.3%
Kinki	18.0%
Chugoku, Shikoku	9.0%
Kyushu	114%

City Scale

Large metropolitan areas (Tokyo’s 23 wards and ordinance-designated cities)	22.1%
Large mid-sized cities (cities with population over 300,000)	16.9%
Mid-sized cities (cities with population over 100,000)	25.4%
Small cities (cities with population under 100,000)	24.9%
Towns and villages	10.7%

The scale is based on the established standards as of September 30, 2007

Gender Distribution

Male	48.7%
Female	51.3%

Age Distribution (in years)

20-24	4.6%
25-29	5.2%
30-34	7.4%
35-39	8.2%
40-44	9.2%
45-49	6.9%
50-54	10.4%
55-59	11.4%
60-69	21.6%
Over 70 years old	14.9%

Educational Background

Elementary/middle-school graduate	15.1%
High-school student or graduate	50.1%
College/junior-college student or graduate	33.8%
Do not know; No answer	1.0%

Occupational Background

[Self-employed]	13.5%
[Salaried worker]	46.2%
[Other]	40.3%
Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing	4.3%
Business/Industry/Service	8.2%
Freelance Professional	1.0%
Management/Professional	5.6%
Office worker/Skill industry	19.0%
Labor/Service	21.6%
Housewife	22.9%
Domestic woman other than a housewife	3.6%
Student	1.5%
Other; Unemployed; No answer	12.3%

Household Annual Income (in Japanese yen)

Below 2 million	10.2%
In between 2 and 4 million	22.0%
In between 4 and 6 million	23.4%
In between 6 and 8 million	14.2%
In between 8 and 10 million	6.9%
Over 10 million	5.1%
Do not know; No answer	18.2%