tokyo -- public support for japan's new government fell below 50% as budget constraints
and internal tensions within the ruling coalition threaten prime minister yukio hatoyama's major policy pledges.
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in its latest retreat, the hatoyama administration relented on a campaign pledge to drop surcharges on gasoline amid tight budget constraints, saying it would replace the tax with a new one. the pledge was part of an effort to end unpopular taxes and government fees, and to spur consumer spending.
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"i must apologize candidly for breaking our campaign promise" to drop the gasoline surcharge, mr. hatoyama said monday.
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his government's approval rating fell to 48% over the weekend, from 62% a month ago and from 71% when he took office in september, according to the japanese daily asahi shimbun. the news surveyed 2,115 respondents, asking if they supported the hatoyama cabinet.
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asahi's poll followed similar results in a survey released friday by jiji press, showing that support
for the cabinet had dropped to 46.8%. that survey, conducted last week, included about 2,000 adults.
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the results represent a sharp turnaround from august , when mr. hatoyama's democratic party of japan trounced the long-ruling liberal democratic party in national elections amid widespread voter concerns over the nation's soft economy and long-term growth prospects.
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public fears are growing over deflation, which some economists believe could send japan into a double-dip recession. deflation eats into corporate profits, leading to cutbacks, and keeps consumers from big purchases as they wait for prices to fall further.
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still, the asahi poll suggests mr. hatoyama has room to maneuver. while overall support for his dpj was 42%, support for the ldp was far lower at 18%.
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at the same time, the government got good news monday from november trade data, which showed a bigger-than-expected 373.9 billion yen ($4.12 billion) trade surplus, thanks to japan's first rise in exports to asia in more than a year. the data added to hopes that japan'bookport-reliant economy could steer clear of a double-dip recession -- in which the economy returns to recession after a brief period of growth.
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"there now seems to be only a slim chance
of japan's economy suffering a double dip," said toshihiro nagahama, chief economist at dai-ichi life research
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