45,000 Japanese protestors rally against Abe's security bills

Japanese policemen contain protesters as they demonstrate against Japan's controversial national security bills in front of Japan's parliament building in Tokyo, Japan, Sept 14, 2015. [Photo/IC]

A poll carried out at the weekend and published on Monday by the Asahi Shimbun daily showed 54 percent of respondents opposed the legislation against 29 percent who backed it, and 68 percent saw no need to enact the bills during the current session.

Three-quarters of the respondents said the debate had been insufficient, in line with other surveys.

A separate survey by public broadcaster NHK also showed more than twice as many people polled were against the passage of the legislation in the current parliament session as those who support it.

Abe's ruling bloc has a majority in the upper house, but opposition parties have said they will use all possible means to prevent a vote, including delaying procedures by submitting time-consuming non-confidence and censure motions.

Support for Abe's government fell to 36 percent, the Asahi survey showed, the lowest rate since he took office in December 2012 and down from 38 percent in last month's poll.

The NHK survey showed, however, support for the government rose by six percentage points from the previous poll in August to 43 percent.

Abe last week won a rare second consecutive term as a ruling party chief, and hence premier, pledging to retain focus on reviving the world's third-largest economy and deepen debate on revising its pacifist constitution.