Most in Japan worry US tariffs will raise living costs: survey

TOKYO -- About 84.2 percent of Japanese respondents feared that higher US tariffs would negatively affect their livelihoods, a Kyodo News survey has revealed.

While 73.9 percent considered the US tariff policy unjustified, only 18.3 percent supported retaliatory tariffs by Japan, according to the survey conducted for two days through Sunday.

The poll also found that Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's approval rating rose slightly to 32.6 percent after hitting a low of 27.6 percent following a gift certificate scandal.

Support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party dropped to 25.8 percent, while opposition parties, including the Democratic Party for the People, gained modest ground.

The nationwide survey called 477 randomly selected households with eligible voters and 3,284 mobile phone numbers. It yielded responses from 425 household members and 626 mobile phone users.