TOKYO -- Shinzo Abe has suffered his first upset in public opinion polls since returning to the prime minister's office in 2012 as a majority of eligible voters oppose legislation to broaden the country's defense powers, a weekend survey by Nikkei Inc. and TV Tokyo finds.
The cabinet's disapproval rating climbed 10 percentage points from June to 50%, the highest to date, topping its approval rating for the first time. The approval rating slipped 9 points to a new low of 38%.