THE approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government has decreased to a record low of 27 percent, dropping by 13 percentage points since early May, in light of a scandal involving the chief of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office, Hiromu Kurokawa, according to a fresh poll.

According to a new poll conducted by the newspaper Mainichi and published Saturday, the disapproval rating for Abe’s Cabinet has increased from 45 percent to 64 percent.

Abe’s government has not seen such low approval ratings for nearly three years. It comes amid a scandal involving Hiromu Kurokawa, who violated the coronavirus-related self-isolation regime by playing mahjong with other people for money, which is illegal in Japan.

A similar poll, conducted May 6, showed that the Abe Cabinet’s approval rating stood at 40 percent.

On Friday, the Japanese Government accepted Kurokawa’s resignation.

The situation has been complicated by the Japanese Government allowing Kurokawa to stay in his post beyond the retirement age of 63.

Nearly 50 percent of respondents believe that Abe and Justice Minister Masako Mori were responsible for the situation with Kurokawa.

(SD-Agencies)