The approval rating for the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has taken a hit following the amendment of the Imperial House Law, which excludes women from succeeding to the throne.

According to public opinion polls released on July 20 (local time) by the Mainichi Shimbun and Jiji Press, the approval rating for the Takaichi cabinet has fallen below 50 percent in both surveys, marking the lowest level since the administration took office.

The Mainichi Shimbun reported that in a poll conducted from July 18 to 19, immediately after the Imperial House Law amendment passed the House of Councillors (upper house) on July 17, the Takaichi cabinet's approval rating dropped to 41 percent, down 10 percentage points from 51 percent last month, hitting a record low.

Mainichi noted that the disapproval rating for the Takaichi cabinet reached 44 percent, surpassing the approval rating for the first time. The newspaper explained that while the ruling party amended the Imperial House Law with the goal of securing the number of royal family members, the significant drop in support suggests it failed to gain the understanding of voters.

In Mainichi's surveys, the Takaichi cabinet's approval rating remained high at 65 to 67 percent from October to December last year, shortly after its launch, before falling to 57 percent in January.

However, it rebounded to 61 percent in February following a general election held after the dissolution of the House of Representatives (lower house).

After a downward trend from March to May, the approval rating was 50 percent in May, staying above the halfway mark.

Although it remained steady at 51 percent in June, it saw a sharp decline this month.

In the July poll released by Jiji Press, conducted from July 10 to 13, the Takaichi cabinet's approval rating was 49 percent, down 5.3 percentage points from the previous month.

This was also the first time the approval rating fell below 50 percent since the administration's inception.

A survey conducted by the Asahi Shimbun from July 18 to 19 placed the Takaichi cabinet's approval rating at 53 percent.

This is a 7 percentage point drop from the 60 percent recorded in last month's survey, marking the first time the rating has been in the 50 percent range in this newspaper's polls since the Takaichi administration began in October last year.

Asahi analyzed that the amendment to the Imperial House Law was a factor in the cabinet's declining support, noting that the cabinet approval rating among respondents who said the amendment "did not gain public understanding" was 42 percent, lower than the overall average, while their disapproval rating was 49 percent, higher than the overall average of 35 percent.

The amended Imperial House Law allows male descendants of former royal families to be adopted into the royal family, granting them eligibility for succession if they have sons.

These individuals are distant relatives, sharing an ancestor with the current Emperor Naruhito from about 600 years ago, with a 36th to 38th-degree relationship, leading to criticism that the legitimacy of their succession is low.

Furthermore, 70 percent of public opinion supports changing the Imperial House Law to allow a queen by ending the male-only succession rule, but this has not been discussed. The fact that the amendment does not grant royal status to the husbands and children of female royals who marry has also sparked public backlash.

Critics also point out the irony that Prime Minister Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, is aligning herself with the voices of conservative politicians who insist on male-line succession.

In the Asahi survey, 60 percent of respondents answered "no" when asked if the Imperial House Law amendment had gained public understanding, while the Mainichi Shimbun survey showed that negative evaluations of the amendment (45 percent) were more than double the positive ones (19 percent).

Although the Jiji Press survey was conducted before the Imperial House Law passed the House of Councillors, objections had already been raised by some opposition parties when it was passed in the plenary session of the House of Representatives.

Additionally, analysts suggest that the ruling party's management of the Diet, such as pushing through bills like the creation of a "vice-capital" while opposition parties refused to participate in deliberations, may have contributed to the decline in support.

Moreover, only 29 percent of respondents gave a positive evaluation of Prime Minister Takaichi's response to high inflation, while 57 percent—nearly double—gave a negative evaluation.

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