Sixty-nine percent of respondents said they “evaluate positively” the recent summit between Prime Minister Takaichi and President Trump, according to a nationwide poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun.
Nationwide Poll Shows Strong Support
From the 20th to the 22nd, The Yomiuri Shimbun carried out a 世論調査 (yoron chōsa)—a public opinion poll—across Japan. The survey focused in part on the summit meeting held in Washington, D.C., on the 19th (the 20th in Japan time) between Prime Minister Takaichi and U.S. President Trump.
This kind of meeting between national leaders is called a 首脳会談 (shunō kaidan), literally “leaders’ conference.” According to the poll results:
- 69% said they 評価する (hyōka suru) — evaluate positively — the summit overall.
- 19% said they do not evaluate it positively.
In formal news language, the article states that 69% “１９％を大きく上回った” (19-pāsento o ōkiku uwamawatta) — greatly exceeded 19%. This expression emphasizes a significant gap between the two figures.
Cabinet Approval Rating Remains High
The poll also measured the cabinet’s 支持率 (shijiritsu), or approval rating.
Prime Minister Takaichi’s cabinet received a 71% approval rating. In the previous survey (conducted February 18–19), the rating was 73%, meaning it dropped slightly but still remained at a high level.
The article says the approval rating 維持した (iji shita) — was maintained — at a high standard. Meanwhile, the disapproval rate stood at 20% (previously 17%).
Even with a small decrease, a 71% approval rating is described as a strong level of public support.
Cultural Context: Public Opinion and Japanese Media
Major newspapers in Japan, such as Yomiuri Shimbun, regularly 実施する (jisshi suru) public opinion polls. These polls often measure:
- Support for the current cabinet
- Reactions to major political events
- Opinions on international relations
Because Japan places importance on stability and leadership, a high 支持率 (shijiritsu) can strengthen a prime minister’s political position. News reports frequently compare current and previous results to show trends over time.
Notice how carefully the numbers are presented. Japanese news writing tends to be precise and structured, especially when reporting survey data.
Learn Japanese from This Article
Let’s turn this news into practical Japanese study material.
Key Vocabulary
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 世論調査 | yoron chōsa | public opinion poll |
| 実施する | jisshi suru | to carry out, to conduct |
| 首脳会談 | shunō kaidan | summit meeting |
| 評価する | hyōka suru | to evaluate, to rate positively |
| 支持率 | shijiritsu | approval rating |
| 維持する | iji suru | to maintain |
| 上回る | uwamawaru | to exceed, to surpass |
Try reading this sentence from the article:
読売新聞社は全国世論調査を実施した。 Yomiuri shinbunsha wa zenkoku yoron chōsa o jisshi shita. “The Yomiuri Shimbun conducted a nationwide public opinion poll.”
Grammar Spotlight
1️⃣ 〜で（理由・状況）
In news writing, で can indicate the situation or context in which something occurs.
Example from the article:
米ワシントンで首脳会談が行われた。 Bei Washinton de shunō kaidan ga okonawareta. “A summit meeting was held in Washington, D.C.”
Here, で marks the place where the action happened.
You’ll often see this structure in formal reporting:
- 日本時間で (Nihon jikan de) — in Japan time
- 会議で (kaigi de) — at a meeting
2️⃣ 〜を大きく上回った
This is a very common formal news expression meaning “greatly exceeded.”
Structure: [Number A] は [Number B] を大きく上回った。
Example from the article: ６９％は１９％を大きく上回った。 Rokujūkyū-pāsento wa jūkyū-pāsento o ōkiku uwamawatta. “69% greatly exceeded 19%.”
This structure is especially common in:
- Election results
- Poll comparisons
- Economic statistics
When you see 上回る, think of numbers and comparisons.
Useful Expressions from Political News
- 全体として評価する (zentai to shite hyōka suru) — to evaluate overall
- 高い水準を維持する (takai suijun o iji suru) — to maintain a high level
- 前回調査 (zenkai chōsa) — the previous survey
These phrases appear frequently in political and economic reporting.
Continue Learning
To strengthen your reading skills and understand articles like this more comfortably:
- To understand more about general, explore our Reading and Writing in Japanese II: Hiragana and Katakana lesson.
- Working on your reading skills? Our Introduction to Kanji: Pictorial Foundations of Japanese Script lesson is a great next step.
- To understand more about general, explore our Basic Vocabulary Building: Embracing Words Without Latin Ties lesson.
By studying real news language like this, you’re learning Japanese the way it’s actually used in society—structured, precise, and rich with nuance.
これからもよろしくお願いします。 Kore kara mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.