
JPP: Opposition parties aim for independent voters as campaign season officially begins
June 22, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
The last round of polling before the campaign for Japan’s July 10 House of Councillors (HOC) elections officially began today shows that the Abe administration and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) continue to hold a commanding lead that could position them for a significant, if not overwhelming victory. But a number of independents are still undecided, and dissatisfaction with the Abe administration’s economic policies continues to run high, suggesting that there is room for the Democratic Party (DP) to gain at the government’s expense.
Tags: Abe, Abenomics, aggregation, approval rating, Asahi Shimbun, coalintion, democratic party, disapproval rating, dp, government, house of councillors, japan political pulse, japanese communist party, jcp, jiji press, jpp, Komeito, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, NHK, opinion, opinion poll, people's life party, plp, Politics, poll, polls, sdp, Shinzo Abe, social democratic party, tobias harris, Yomiuri Shimbun

JPP: Abe remains strong ahead of major decisions
March 28, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is entering a critical period in the life of his government, with several important decisions and actions coming within the next few months. The good news for him is that opinion polls suggest he is entering this period in a position of strength.
Tags: Abe, Abenomics, approval, approval rating, consumption tax, democratic party, Democratic Party of Japan, Diet, disapproval, disapproval rating, dp, DPJ, election, fiscal policy, g7, house of councillors, House of Representatives, japan innovation party, japan political pulse, JIP, jpp, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, merge, poll, rating, Shinzo Abe, snap election, TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership

JPP: Abe government’s approval ratings stabilize, but public still cool towards policies
March 14, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
New polls from NHK and the Asahi Shimbun show that the Abe government’s support remains stable despite the public’s negative attitudes regarding the government’s policies. If anything, support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is strengthening.
Tags: Abenomics, approval rating, Asahi Shimbun, Cabinet, childcare, democratic innovation party, Democratic Party of Japan, dip, disapproval rating, DPJ, employment, house of councillors, japan political pulse, JIP, jpp, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, merger, NHK, poll, Shinzo Abe, tobias harris, voting, wages

JPP: Cabinet approval continues to soften in latest polls
March 7, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Two recent polls show that the Japanese cabinet’s approval is once again in what can be described as a “softening” cycle. New polls by the Yomiuri Shimbun and the Mainichi Shimbun both showed headline approval falling. In the case of Yomiuri, the fall was slight, 52% to 49%. Mainichi recorded a sharper fall: the cabinet’s approval fell nine points to 42% and its disapproval rose eight points to 38%.
Tags: Abenomics, approval rating, Cabinet, Collective Self-Defense, Democratic Party of Japan, disapproval rating, Futenma, Henoko, house of councillors, japan innovation party, japan political pulse, jpp, Liberal Democratic Party, Mainichi Shimbun, Okinawa, poll, Shinzo Abe, tobias harris, Yomiuri Shimbun

Introducing Japan Political Pulse: Background and methodology
February 19, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
The goal of the JPP is to provide a comprehensive look at the government’s prevailing approval rating as well as other opinion polling regarding critical issues facing Japan. While Japan has a high volume of quality opinion polls — regularly conducted surveys with large, randomly drawn samples — these polls often have subtle but consistent biases. Following in the footsteps of U.S. opinion poll aggregators, we will aggregate major polls so as to minimize the impact of these biases and arrive at a more accurate picture of the government’s support on a given day.
Tags: Abe cabinet, Abenomics, aggregator, approval rating, Asahi Shimbun, Cabinet, disapproval rating, Japan, japan political pulse, jiji press, jpp, kyodo news service, Mainichi Shimbun, methodology, NHK, opinion poll, opinion poll aggregator, Politics, poll, public opinion, public standing, Shinzo Abe, Yomiuri Shimbun