Approval rate for Japanese PM's cabinet down 8.3 pc

Tokyo, Feb 16 (IANS) The approval rate for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet dropped 8.3 per cent compared to the previous poll in January, marking the sharpest decrease in nearly two years, a new survey revealed on Sunday.

The nationwide opinion poll conducted over the weekend showed that the approval rate stands at 41.0 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported.

The poll also showed that 71.4 per cent think it will be unfavourable to Japan if Donald Trump is re-elected as US President in November, while 16.7 per cent expect a favourable impact.

The disapproval rate stood at 46.1 per cent, up 9.4 points, amid criticism of the government's handling of documents related to publicly funded annual cherry blossom viewing parties which indicated cronyism.

In the telephone survey, 84.5 per cent said Abe had failed to provide an adequate explanation concerning the matter.