On page one, above the fold, Asahi Shinbun reports that Prime Minister's Jun'ichiro Koizumi's approval rating has dropped to an all-time low of 33%. Disapproval is at 46%. If you recall, when he became prime minister in 2001, his approval was in the mid-80s. This plummetted by the end of the year and never fully recovered.
The only problem is that that, like British PM Tony Blair, there is no one with enough support who could take over the reins if Koizumi were to stand down.
On page two, Asahi notes that approval for the idea of a female emperor is currently at 86%. With no male heir emerging from the line of Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako, we could expect the reign of Empress Aiko in several decades.
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