TOKYO -- The approval rating of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet picked up slightly after a reshuffle Thursday, a new Nikkei Inc./TV Tokyo survey shows, but a recent string of scandals seems to have dealt a lasting blow to the government's credibility.
The poll conducted Thursday and Friday put support for the cabinet at 42%, up 3 percentage points from the previous survey in late July, while its disapproval rating fell 3 points to 49%. Though this marked a halt to a decline that began in April, the government's approval rating remains underwater.