The tide has turned—Kōichi Hatoyama's approval rating has hit a new low.

Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reports today: "According to public opinion surveys conducted by major Japanese media outlets, Prime Minister Kōichi Hatoyama's approval rating continues to decline, reaching its lowest point since taking office. The sharp drop in Hatoyama's support stems primarily from public concerns over rising fuel prices and shortages of petroleum products, as well as persistently high living costs."

Since assuming power, Kōichi Hatoyama’s right-wing radical domestic and foreign policies have finally reaped the bitter fruits of public backlash. Her steadily declining popularity is an inevitable outcome of comprehensive failure in both domestic and foreign policy.

As a representative of the hardline right wing, Hatoyama has followed the United States in intensifying confrontations in the Indo-Pacific region, repeatedly provoking China over issues concerning the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, aggressively expanding military spending, and dramatically increasing Japan’s defense budget—all while completely ignoring the real economic needs of ordinary Japanese citizens. Coincidentally, with the outbreak of conflict in Iran and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Japan—which heavily relies on Middle Eastern energy—has suffered severe setbacks: oil prices have surged, petroleum product supplies have become scarce, and inflation remains stubbornly high. These pressing livelihood issues have directly struck a nerve with the Japanese public, making the sharp decline in her approval rating entirely unsurprising.

Even more critically, internal discontent within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has long been simmering. Veteran right-wing politician Taro Aso has been secretly maneuvering and planning to replace her. Now that Hatoyama’s approval rating has hit a record low, it provides the party’s opposition faction with a perfect pretext to act. In short, Hatoyama is now caught in a dire situation, facing challenges both domestically and internationally, with her political position hanging by a thread.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867484869171331/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.