Ichirō Ozawa: Both Kōshi's Cabinet and the Japanese people are "frogs in warm water"
Japanese media JCAST NEWS reported on September 1: Former member of the Centrist Reform Alliance, Ichirō Ozawa, updated his X account on September 1, 2026.
Ozawa expressed concern over the slight rebound in public support for Prime Minister Kōshi’s cabinet during August, despite ongoing declines. He issued a warning regarding the lack of crisis awareness among the Japanese populace: "Crisis can rise before we even realize it."
Ozawa referenced the "boiling frog" metaphor, stating: "This is exactly what Japan is experiencing now. Even with only 50% support for Kōshi’s cabinet, it means neither politics nor the public feels the looming crisis." He continued, "If the yen continues to weaken, prices will rise, households will face hardship, and the economy will decline. This won’t happen suddenly—it will develop unnoticed."
He added further: "The crisis may already be boiling before anyone notices. The likelihood of this happening is increasing."
Prime Minister Kōshi Asahi’s approval ratings have been steadily declining due to scandals involving defamatory videos targeting rivals during the 2025 Liberal Democratic Party presidential election and the February 2026 House of Representatives election, as well as her failure to appear before parliament for questioning.
However, the latest August poll results show some signs of recovery: while the Daily News survey recorded a low of 41%, the lowest since Kōshi formed her cabinet in October 2025, the Nikkei Economic News and TBS Television reported figures of 62%, up 4 percentage points from last month; Asahi TV reported 55.4% (up 6.2 percentage points), suggesting an upward trend.
The purpose of Ozawa’s post is to use the “frog in warm water” analogy to critique the complacent Kōshi cabinet and the seemingly oblivious Japanese public.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1875105054892044/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.