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Febuary 2007 NIKKEI REGULAR TELEPHONE INTERVIEW POLL(P07-4)

Febuary 2007 Nikkei Regular Telephone Interview Poll

Dates Conducted

February 23-25, 2007

Methodology

Nationwide poll. See below for age and gender breakdown.

Key Issues

• Support for the Abe Cabinet
• Minister Yanagisawa’s comments on childbirth and women
• Cabinet restructuring
• Regional issues and their affect on the July House of Councillors’ election

Background

In January, in a speech addressing declining birthrates, Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare, Hakuo Yanagisawa, called women birth-giving machines. This public faux pas by an Abe Cabinet member adds to a growing list of blunders committed by the current administration. Japan currently has a birthrate of 1.29 percent and a declining population. Despite this reality, many spoke out against Yanagisawa calling for his resignation. The opposition Democratic Party of Japan has used this controversy as leverage for its platform in the upcoming House of Councillors election. Although the minister has apologized publicly for his comments the negative impact that they have had may continue to adversely affect the Abe administration for months to come.
Also, on February 13, diplomats engaged in the Six-Party Talks with North Korea announced a breakthrough agreement aimed at dismantling the regime’s nuclear program. The agreement involved an initial shipment of heavy fuel oil to North Korea in exchange for the shutdown of the North’s Yongbyon nuclear facility and the admittance of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors. Japan has refused to resume aide to the North until progress is made on the outstanding issue of the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents.

Link to Original Source

http://www.nikkei-r.co.jp/nikkeipoll/qandres/y200702a.html

Disclaimer

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

Survey:

Q1: Do you support or not support the Abe Cabinet? (N=954)

Support	49%
Do not support	41
Can't say/ don't know	10

Q1SQ1: For those who answered “support” in Q1, what is the reason for your support? Please choose as many as apply from the following seven answers. (N=468)

Because it is an LDP cabinet	25%
Good policies	8
Good sense of international affairs	15
Leadership	5
Stability	9
Can trust members' personalities	57
Politically clean	24
Other	5
Can't say/ don't know	6

Q1SQ2: For those who answered “don’t support” in Q1, what is the reason for your lack of support? Please choose as many as apply from the following seven answers. (N=390)

Because it is an LDP cabinet	17%
Bad policies	34
Does not have a sense of international affairs	14
Leadership	63
Stability	36
Can trust members' personalities	9
Politically clean	2
Other	2
Can't say/ don't know	3

Q2: What political party do you currently support? Please choose only one. (N=954)

Liberal Democratic Party	35%
Democratic Party ofJapan	11
Komeito	3
JapanCommunist Party	2
Social Democratic Party ofJapan	1
The People's New Party	0
The New Party ofJapan	0
Other	0
Do not support any party	46
Can't say/don't know	3

Q2SQ: For those who answered “don’t support any party” or “can’t say/don’t know” in Q2, if you had to choose one party, which party do you feel is most preferable? Please choose only one. (N=465)

Liberal Democratic Party	20%
Democratic Party ofJapan	20
Komeito	1
JapanCommunist Party	3
Social Democratic Party ofJapan	3
The People's New Party	0
The New Party ofJapan	0
Other	1
Do not support any party	44
Can't say/don't know	8

[Support+Preferable parties (N=954)]

Liberal Democratic Party	44%
Democratic Party ofJapan	21
Komeito	3
JapanCommunist Party	3
Social Democratic Party ofJapan	3
The People's New Party	0
The New Party ofJapan	0
Other	1
Do not support any party	21
Can't say/don't know	4

Q3: Do you support or not support the Abe Cabinet’s first four months of performance? (N=954)

Support	34%
Not support	52
Neither support nor not support	6
Can't say/ don't know	8

Q3SQ1: For those who answered “support” in Q3, what is the primary reason for your answer? Please choose only one of the following. ( N=324)

Efforts toward fiscal reconstruction	9%
Efforts toward education reform	21
Restoration of party membership to opponents of postal privatization	5
Confronting problems associated with "government and money"	7
Confronting problems with cabinet members' statements	2
Elevation of the Japan Defense Agency to the Ministry of Defense	4
Posture towardKoreaandChina	12
Response toNorth Koreaproblem	33
Other	0
Can't say/ don't know	9

Q3SQ2: For those who answered “not support” in Q3, what is the primary reason for your answer? Please choose only one of the following. (N=494)

Efforts toward fiscal reconstruction	18%
Efforts toward educational reform	10
Restoration of party membership to opponents of postal privatization	14
Confronting problems associated with "politics and money"	14
Confronting problems with cabinet members' statements	25
Elevation of the Japan Defense Agency to the Ministry of Defense	3
Posture towardKoreaandChina	2
Response toNorth Koreaproblem	8
Other	2
Can't say/ don't know	4

Q4: In regards to positions on reform, how do you rate Abe’s cabinet as compared to Koizumi’s cabinet? (N=954)

Positively	3%
Negatively	50
Hasn't changed	37
Can't say/don't know	10

Q5: Do you think the Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare, Yanagisawa, needs to resign because of his comments comparing women to ‘birthing machines’ (N=954)

Needs to resign	47%
Does not need to resign	43
Can't say/ Don't know	10

Q6: At the Six-Party Talks addressing the development of North Korea’s nuclear program, it was agreed that in return for the suspension of North Korea’s nuclear facilities that the six parties would supply crude oil to North Korea. Do you support this resolution? (N=954)

Support	47%
Do not support	43
Can't say/ don't know	10

Q7: Representative Ichiro Ozawa of the Democratic Party of Japan published the details of his office expenses. Do you think that the Cabinet and the staff of political parties should do likewise and publish their expenses? (N=954)

Should publish them	69%
Present conditions are fine	18
Can't say/don't know	13

Q8: Within the Liberal Democratic Party there have been voices in favor of cabinet restructuring. What do you think? (N=954)

There should be restructuring before the House ofCouncillorselection in July	29%
There should be restructuring after the House ofCouncillorselection in July	31
There is no pressing need to restructure	26
Can't say/don't know	15

Q9: To what degree do you have interest in the upcoming national local elections to be held in April? (N=954)

Very interested	21%
Interested to a degree	50
Not really interested	16
Not interested at all	3
Can't say/don't know	10

Q10: In what regional policy issue do you have the most interest in? Please choose only one from the following nine choices. (N=954)

Raising children/declining birthrates	10%
Education problems	12
Medical care/welfare	25
Employment security	9
Rebuilding local finance	12
Reducing interregional disparities	6
Environmental mitigation measure/city planning	3
Disaster and public order counter measures	3
'Government and money' issue	9
Can't say/don't know	12

Polling Information
F1: Gender (judged by interviewers, N=954)

Male	48%
Female	52
Unknown	0

F2: Age (N=954)

20s	8%
30s	16
40s	18
50s	20
60s	18
70s	17
Refused to answer	2

F3: What is your occupation? Please choose one of the following. (N=954)

Agriculture, forestry, fishing	3%
Employed (corporate employee, bureaucrat, teacher, etc.)	46
Self-employed (business, engineer), freelance (including family business)	10
Housewife (without any outside job)	17
Student	2
Unemployed	19
Refused to answer	2