|
 Anger over the Japanese government's handling of the coronavirus
pandemic helped sink the administration of Kishida's predecessor,
Yoshihide Suga, and Kishida faces a crucial election for the upper
house of parliament in July.
About 73% of respondents to a Kyodo news agency opinion poll over
the weekend felt Japan's rollout of booster shots has been far too
slow, though 54.1% approved of how the government had tackled the
coronavirus overall.
Only 14.4% of the population has received booster shots even though
nearly 30% of the country is 65 or older and at greater risk without
the protection of the booster.
Kishida, who has repeatedly promised to accelerate the booster
programme, told a news conference last week he has yet to receive
his booster, but should get one early in March.
The booster programme has picked up steam in recent days, with more
than 700,000 shots a day - nearing Kishida's goal of 1 million by
the end of February. Still, February became the deadliest month of
the pandemic for Japan on Saturday, with 3,033 deaths so far this
month.
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 Nearly half of respondents to the two-day
telephone survey said it was "too early" to
loosen border controls, which have among been
the strictest among wealthy nations but were
slammed by businesses and educators, a move set
to take place in stages from March 1.
About 45.7% said the decision, which will open
borders to foreigners except for tourists, came
too early, Kyodo said, while 34.9% said it was
"appropriate" and 16.3% saw it as too late.
Overall, Kishida's support rose slightly to
56.6% although disapproval of his government
edged up 2.2 points to 27.4%.
(Reporting by Elaine Lies, additional reporting
by Rocky Swift, Editing by Gerry Doyle and
Lincoln Feast.)
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