Koizumi`s approval rating drops sharply

[Judi Lynn]

Koizumi`s approval rating drops sharply
Feb 7, 2006, 0:36 GMT

TOKYO, Japan (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi`s popularity has dropped like a rock in the past month, a poll released Monday found.

The Nikkei poll found that 45 percent of voters approve of Koizumi`s actions as prime minister, down 14 percent in a month. On the negative side, 43 percent of those surveyed disapprove, up 9 percent.

A series of scandals and the traditional fall-off in popularity of lame-duck prime ministers in Japan appears to be hurting Koizumi, the Financial Times reported. Koizumi is expected to leave office in September. Some recent prime ministers have seen their poll numbers fall to single digits in their final days.

At the same time, 44 percent of voters supported Koizumi`s Liberal Democratic Party against 22 percent for the opposition Democratic Party, figures that have remained steady.
(snip/...)

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/article_1095370.php/Koizumi%60s_approval_rating_drops_sharply

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[stillcool]

1. I can see why....

my opinion was neutral until I saw those pics....and now that I've had a minute to think about it....I feel like this :puke: :hi:

[VegasWolf]

2. Ole NixonBush is hard on people. nt

[Mithras61]

3. Somebody should have warned him...

not to hang out with Chimpy or his numbers would plummet...


Sort of reminds me of Gonzo the Great on The Muppet Show. I always did like how he plummeted! :D

[MisterP]

4. DAMN, Bush is ugly!!!

[Sanity Claws]

5. What's Koizumi reading? Is it My Pet Goat in Japanese?

[Art_from_Ark]

8. He's looking at a book about the Nanking Massacre

that's upside down

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. Yappari

The Nanjing Massacre in History

That's photoshopped, right?

[Art_from_Ark]

10. Yeah, it's photoshopped

Here's the web site it came from:

http://www.cominganarchy.com/archives/2005/05/05/the-many-faces-of-koizumi-20/

[Art_from_Ark]

11. Here's another photoshopped pic for your enjoyment (?)

Junichiro W. Koizumi

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. And Koizumi Jackson!

:rofl:

[Kagemusha]

6. Silly kids. 45% is really good

There've been PM's with numbers like 17% over the course of entire years who stayed in power (for a while).

[Art_from_Ark]

7. Japanese PMs who are at 17% don't last long

Koizumi's predecessor, the hapless Mr. Mori, did manage to have an approval rating of less than 20% for several months before being unceremoniously dumped as a result of his non-reaction to the sinking of the Ehime Maru fishing boat.

Here's a comparison of Mori's approval/disapproval ratings with those of his predecessor, the late Mr. Obuchi (circles show approval rating, black squares show disapproval rating, Mori takes over from Obuchi between 3 (March) and 4 (April):