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| Prime Minister Shinzo Abe |
TOKYO, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The support rate in Japan for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has dropped in nationwide poll amid issues pertaining to a possible extension to Abe's term and a new mission for the Self-Defense Forces, local media reported Sunday.
According to a nationwide telephone survey conducted by Kyodo News on Saturday and Sunday, the approval rating of Abe's Cabinet stood at 53.9 percent, dropping from 55.7 percent in a poll taken in September, while the disapproval rate jumped 3.2 points to 33.2 percent.
Of concern to the public, according to the survey, was a potential extension in Abe's leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), with the LDP looking to possibly change its rules to allow Abe's presidency to run for a third successive, three-year term, meaning the extension of his role as prime minister.
According to the poll, the majority of those surveyed maintained that the plan was not a good idea, with 51.8 percent saying it would be better for the ruling party to not change its rules. Under the current LDP rules, Abe's second term will run through September 2018 and is not allowed to run for another term.
Read the full story at Xinhua