Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi increases social media activity amid falling approval ratings... Cockroach posts receive the most likes

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is experiencing a decline in approval ratings, significantly increased the number of social media posts last month, and analysis suggests that this is an attempt to rally supporters.

On the 4th, the Tokyo Shimbun reported that Prime Minister Takaichi posted a total of 87 posts on his X (old Twitter) last month.

This is the highest number since February, when the House of Representatives elections were held this year.

Among the posts posted by Prime Minister Takaichi last month, the one that received the most likes was a post about cockroaches appearing in the prime minister's official residence.

On the 22nd of last month, Prime Minister Takaichi posted a post in the prime minister's official residence saying that he had screamed at the sight of a cockroach not long ago and that "I had never encountered a cockroach when I lived in a lawmaker's dormitory." This post received more than 160,000 likes.

The Tokyo Shimbun pointed out that, in addition to these posts about co-authorship, what is noticeable is the tendency to explain policies and laws in long sentences.

In particular, the effectiveness of inflation measures is repeatedly appealed in long sentences.

On the 14th of last month, he wrote, "There seems to be an opinion that he is neglecting measures against inflation and giving priority to realizing his political beliefs, but that is different from my perception."

Regarding Prime Minister Takaichi's increase in the number of social media posts, experts say that he is trying to retain his supporters by showing that he is working hard.

Masaaki Ito, a professor at Seikei University who studies politicians' videos and social media posts, said, "The approval rating of light supporters is declining," and analyzed, "They are appealing that they 'feel like they're doing something' and 'are working hard.'"

Prime Minister Takaichi's approval rating is generally on the decline, hitting the lowest level in recent major media opinion polls.

According to a Kyodo News poll conducted on the 22nd and 23rd of last month, the approval rating for Takaichi's cabinet was 50.2%, the lowest since the administration took office.