Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet approval rating has recovered to the 50% level for the first time in eight months.
A Yomiuri Shimbun survey conducted on Saturday and Sunday showed support rising by 9 percentage points to 56% over the past five weeks. Disapproval stood at 33% compared with 37% in the previous survey on April 14-16.
The rise is likely linked to the government's diplomatic achievements at the G7 Hiroshima Summit held Friday to Sunday and the downgrading of COVID-19 to Category V, the same level as seasonal influenza.
