TOKYO: A new nationwide poll shows that support for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Cabinet has fallen 2.5 percentage points over the last month. Public approval stood at 44.6 percent in the Kyodo News agency poll released on Sunday. The administration's disapproval rating rose 6 points, to 40.3 percent. Noda's numbers have steadily declined since taking office in early September. Respondents expressed wariness over the government's plans to raise the 5 per cent consumption tax. More than half of respondents said they wanted a general election before a hike is enacted. Kyodo surveyed 1,021 eligible voters by telephone over the weekend. A poll of that size would typically have a margin of error of 5 percentage points.
