Japan PM Takaichi's approval rating slides as inflation bites

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to the media at her official residence in Tokyo, Japan on May 25, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Kyodo) 27 Jul 2026 11:17AM TOKYO: The approval rating of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration slumped in July to the lowest level since she took office last year, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday (Jul 26), a sign that rising living costs were hitting her popularity.The sliding popularity adds to headaches for Takaichi, who has seen her expansionary fiscal and monetary policy bias cause a spike in bond yields and a slump in the yen to four-decade lows.Such market pressures and opposition even from within her own ruling party have delayed the government's decision on whether and when to cut an 8 per cent levy on food sales - a pledge