22.7 percent want Japan Post privatisation during current Diet session

Only 22.7 percent of Japanese people polled want the government to legislate a set of bills for privatising Japan Post, the state-run postal services provider, during the current Diet session, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.

The poll found that 53.9 percent of the responding eligible voters in the nationwide telephone survey conducted Saturday and Sunday believe the government should have extensive discussions over the privatisation without sticking to enactment during the current session to June 19.

The poll was conducted on 1,471 households, with valid responses received from 1,015.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has long characterized Japan Post privatisation as the focal point of his reform programs.

According to the privatisation bills, the government calls for splitting Japan Post into four entities, one each in charge of mail delivery, postal savings, life insurance and over-the-counter services when the 10-year process begins in April 2007.

Of the four, the bills call for fully privatising two — postal savings and insurance services — by the end of March 2017.

Asked what policy should be given priority, 40.4 percent of the respondents cited social security reforms, including those for pension and medical care systems, while 21.9 percent said economy-boosting measures.

Ten percent said they want the government to reconstruct the fiscal situation, while only 7.1 percent said privatisation of Japan Post should be given priority.

But when asked whether they back the privatisation, 52.9 percent said they do, while 32.7 percent said they do not, and 14.4 percent said they did not know or did not answer.

The poll found that the public approval rating for the Koizumi administration stood at 43.8 percent, down 0.9 percentage point from the previous survey conducted Jan. 22 and 23.

The disapproval rating came to 43.0 percent, down 1.5 points from the previous poll.

As for political party approval ratings, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party received 31.1 percent approval, up 0.1 point, followed by the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan at 24.7 percent, up 2.0 points, the New Komeito party at 3.5 percent, down 1.0 point, the Japanese Communist Party at 2.4 percent, down 1.7 points, and the Social Democratic Party at 1.8 percent, up 0.2 point.