Japan ruling party support plunges ahead of national election in NHK poll

Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan president Yoshihiko Noda listens as Japan's Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba, right, speaks during a debate with leaders of other political parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, July 2. Reuters-Yonhap

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) received its lowest score in an opinion poll since returning to power in 2012 in a survey by public broadcaster NHK on Monday, underlining the prospect that the governing bloc may struggle in Sunday's upper house election.

Support for the LDP fell 4.1 percentage points to 24 percent in a week, while backing for the LDP-led administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stayed unchanged at 31 percent, in the poll taken between July 11 and 13.

LDP support has been falling in recent surveys, suggesting that Ishiba's coalition of LDP and junior partner Komeito may lose its majority in the upper house too, after losing its lower house majority last October.

A poor showing would cast doubt on Ishiba's political future as his shaky government faces an Aug. 1 deadline to strike a trade deal with the United States, less than two weeks after the vote.

The rise of smaller opposition parties that favor tax cuts and loose monetary policy could also complicate the Bank of Japan's interest hike schedule.

In the latest NHK poll, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party received 7.8 percent support, slightly down from a week before, while Sanseito, which has been seen a dark-horse populist conservative group, rose to 5.9 percent.

Democratic Party for the People registered 4.9 percent support, LDP partner Komeito 3.5 percent, Japan Innovation Party 3.1 percent and Japanese Communist Party 3 percent, while 33.7 percent of respondents supported no party.