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TOKYO, JAPAN - SUPPORT for Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda slid to 31 per cent in a poll published on Monday, down nine percentage points from a month ago amid political deadlock that has left the central bank governor's post unfilled.
About 54 per cent of respondents to the poll in the Nikkei financial daily said they did not support Mr Fukuda, the first time the figure has risen over 50 per cent since he took office in September.
With parliament's upper house dominated by the main opposition Democratic Party and its allies, Mr Fukuda's ruling coalition is also mired in stalemate over a gasoline tax the Democrats want to abolish, casting doubt on his leadership.
Lack of leadership was the most common reason cited by poll respondents for not supporting Mr Fukuda and his cabinet.
But when asked which party they support, 30 per cent of respondents said the Democrats while 40 per cent said the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Last week Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Masaaki Shirakawa became acting governor after parliament's upper house rejected two government nominees for the job.
More than 41 per cent of respondents to the poll said the ruling coalition was responsible for the failure to agree on a successor, but 55 per cent did not agree with the opposition's actions.
About 865 voters responded to the poll, which covered 1,574 households and was carried out between March 21 and 23, the paper said. -- REUTERS
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