The Hindu : Koizumi's ratings fall over foreign policy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 21, 2002

International

International

Koizumi's ratings fall over foreign policy

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE May 20. The Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi's popularity ratings have taken a beating due to a perceived inability to tackle foreign policy issues.

According to a countrywide survey conducted by Asahi Shimbun, approval ratings for the Koizumi Government have slipped to 37 per cent, dropping below 40 per cent for the first time since he became Prime Minister in April 2001. "The telephone survey was conducted Saturday and Sunday and obtained 2,044 valid responses. Support for the Koizumi Cabinet was down five points from the April 14-15 survey, apparently due to the Government's fumbling of an asylum attempt by five presumed North Koreans in Shenyang, China," the newspaper said. "More than 70 per cent of the respondents said they do not trust Foreign Ministry accounts of the incident, which sharply contradict the Chinese version," it said about the findings of the poll.

"Respondents disapproving of the Cabinet rose to 48 per cent in the latest poll, from 40 per cent in the previous survey.... asked to cite what they saw as the Cabinet's weak points, 24 per cent chose diplomacy and defence, sharply higher from nine per cent in the previous poll and coming close to the top answer — the economy and unemployment — at 37 per cent," the newspaper said.

The Prime Minister, who could apparently do no wrong in the first few months of his tenure, saw his popularity plummeting after he dismissed his popular but erratic Foreign Minister, Makiko Tanaka, in January this year. A ruling party coterie had been gunning for Ms. Tanaka right from the day she took office. Ms. Tanaka, who helped Mr. Koizumi become Prime Minister, was sacked unceremoniously.

A recent incident where Chinese security personnel entered the Japanese Consulate in Shenyang and removed five "North Korean" asylum-seekers has raised a storm. While the Japanese Government has demanded an apology from China for the incident, Beijing claims that it had obtained permission from local Japanese diplomats to enter the Consulate. In Japan, the handling of the issue has raised criticism against the Foreign Ministry. The Shenyang standoff continues though the Chinese Government has permitted other North Korean asylum-seekers to go to South Korea through a third country.

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