Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a new fiscal stimulus program in response to a fall in his cabinet’s approval rating. The approval rating, which peaked at 59 per cent in June 2022 plunged to its lowest point of 29 per cent in November 2023. Despite a reshuffle of the cabinet aimed at strengthening female representation, it has proven ineffective in alleviating growing political discontent. Japanese ‘voters have grown increasingly disillusioned with the administration’s ability to address the country’s social and economic woes’. The reason for the political turmoil is higher inflation, which has ... (full story)