"We're seeing in some polls that almost 80 percent of the public are not satisfied with the government constantly denying that Abe's office was complicit in Kake being shown favoritism, and, more specifically, that public mistrust of the prime minister himself is growing," Imori added.
He went on to say that following repeated refusals to demands by opposition parties, including the main Democratic Party, to give sworn testimony in parliament on the matter, the prime minister's recent U-turn saying that he'll now allow himself to be grilled over the scandal, shows a "certain desperation in trying to restore the public faith in him and his administration."
Imori pointed out and disputed the fact that Abe's representatives said his about-turn had nothing to do with the tumbling support rates, and his sentiments were echoed by other sources with knowledge of the matter.
"Despite the official denial that the declining ratings altered Mr. Abe's decision, it is clear Mr. Abe had no choice. If he continues to reject the opposition's requests, even more people will suppose that he is hiding something," University of Tokyo political watcher Yu Uchiyama said.
In addition to the prime minister's volte-face, other political experts here believed that Abe's planned Cabinet reshuffle next month, which might involve half of his current members being replaced by a younger lineup, is also an attempt to rescue himself and his party from what could be a very bleak, if not terminal outlook.
【国际英语资讯:News Analysis: Japans Abe on shaky ground amid all-time low public support rate】相关文章:
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