[Seoul Newspaper Now News]
Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s new Prime Minister, is seen doing a “jump” full of joy and excitement at the Yokosuka US military base after meeting with US President Donald Trump on October 28, 2025. (Reuters News1)
The support rate for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet in Japan has reached 75%. There is growing interest in how her administration is maintaining strong support despite conflicts with China and concerns over financial deterioration.
According to a public opinion poll conducted by Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) and TV Tokyo from November 28-30, Takaichi’s cabinet received a support rate of 75%, a 1 percentage point increase from the previous poll in October.
Thus, the Takaichi cabinet has maintained a support rate of over 70% for two consecutive months since its launch in October. Only 18% of respondents in the poll expressed not supporting Takaichi’s cabinet.
The most common reason given by respondents for supporting the Takaichi cabinet was “because the Prime Minister is trustworthy” (37%), followed by “because of leadership skills” (34%).
On the other hand, the main reason for not supporting the cabinet was “because it is a LDP-centered cabinet” at 35%, followed by “because the Prime Minister is not trustworthy” (30%).
The top policy issue for Takaichi to prioritize was “measures against inflation” at 55%, followed by “economic growth” (32%), “diplomacy and security” (31%), “pensions” (26%), and “employment and wages” (26%).
**Japan-bound Flights Canceled Amid China-Japan Tensions**
As the Takaichi cabinet records historically high support rates, tensions between China and Japan are escalating.
Following Prime Minister Takaichi’s comments on the possible involvement of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces in a Taiwan contingency on November 7, China blocked air routes to Japan. Currently, Chinese airlines have reduced approximately 900 flights to Japan.
Analysis by Nikkei on November 29, using data from UK aviation information company Cirium, showed that as of November 27, Chinese airlines decided to suspend 904 out of the 5,548 Japan-bound flights scheduled for December, accounting for 16% of the total.
The suspended flights span 72 routes, with a total of 156,000 seats affected. There are a total of 172 regular air routes between China and Japan.
**China’s Demands and Further Cultural Strains**
The number of foreign visitors to Japan from January to October this year reached 35.54 million, with 8.2 million being Chinese tourists. Some regions in Japan, concerned about overtourism due to excessive Chinese visitors, are now facing severe cancellations, with up to 70% of accommodations booked by Chinese being canceled.
An aviation and travel analyst commented in the Sankei Shimbun that the impact of “Korean-Japanese order” could last until spring, and recovery may take six months to a year.
Cultural exchanges are also being curtailed, with Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki’s concert in Shanghai canceled just a day before, citing “unavoidable reasons.” Hamasaki had previously performed successfully in Beijing before Takaichi’s Taiwan comments.
Additionally, the musical “Sailor Moon,” which was slated to be performed in Hangzhou and Beijing, was abruptly canceled.
**What China Really Wants**
China continues to pressure Japan, demanding the retraction of Takaichi’s statements.
Wu Jianghao, China’s Ambassador to Japan, criticized Japan’s current leadership through an op-ed in the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s newspaper, on November 30. He accused Japan of unilateral destructive actions that misjudged the situation and went against the tide.
Wu emphasized that Japan needs to honor its post-WWII political commitments and stop disrupting the international order, calling for an immediate retraction of the erroneous and baseless remarks.
China is also conducting military patrols near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Dao) in the South China Sea, involving its Southern Theater Command and Coast Guard.