When asked if constitutional amendment, an initiative being promoted by the Abe administration, should be a priority political issue for the government, some 49.5% of respondents said no while 36.5% said yes, according to the monthly Jiji Press poll for January conducted on Jan. 6–9. This shows that there continues to be a strong call for a cautious approach to be taken on this issue. Meanwhile, some 13.9% of respondents said “don’t know.”

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saw his cabinet’s approval rating rise 2.0 percentage points from the previous month to 51.2%, returning to the 50% range for the first time in two months. It is thought that this rise was bolstered by the public’s favorable view of the Pearl Harbor visit by the leaders of Japan and the United States. The cabinet’s disapproval rate dropped 3.0 points to 26.5%.