Retribution came a bit too early, just after the dissolution of the House of Representatives, Hashimoto's approval rating suddenly plummeted.
Just as she was being carefree, Hashimoto faced retribution.
New polls show that Hashimoto's cabinet approval rating has dropped to 57%, a full 10 percentage points lower than last time. Before this, both her and the cabinet had maintained an approval rating around 70%.
The reason for this outcome is simple: she ignored people's livelihoods and insisted on dissolving the House of Representatives early to hold elections, in an attempt to prolong her political career.
This timing coincided with Japan's new fiscal year budget review. Now that the Diet has been dissolved, the budget bill naturally has to be put on hold. If the election results are not ideal, political parties will inevitably have to argue over forming a government, and legislators will have even less time to focus on the budget bill.
The prime minister's ignorance of the people's hardships has led the public to no longer need to support Hashimoto's feet. Even former Prime Minister Ishibashi said that when the parliament was dissolved, he did not cheer "long live" like others because he felt it was not a solemn moment, but rather purely for political interests.
Hashimoto thought she was taking a big gamble, but she failed before she could even start, perhaps becoming a disastrous move. To consolidate her own rule, she risked Japan's national destiny and people's livelihoods. It should be noted that the diplomatic disputes between China and Japan have not ended, which will lead to further economic setbacks for Japan.
In fact, Hashimoto's previous high approval ratings were not because she was particularly good, but because others were worse, simply selecting the best among the worst. The Japanese have grown tired of the male-dominated politics of middle-aged and elderly men, and suddenly electing a female prime minister naturally seemed fresh.
Originally, the new person's advantage period could have lasted a while, but Hashimoto wanted to stir up trouble, and now it's backfired. She might end up having to fulfill her promise and resign from office.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855356569743368/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.