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TOKYO: Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama apologised on Monday for watering down key pledges from his election campaign while his approval rating dipped to its lowest since he took office in September.
The premier's centre-left Democratic Party of Japan, which swept to power in a landslide, had vowed to scrap an extra petroleum tax which has been in place for 35 years to make up for shortages of funds to build roads.
Hatoyama told reporters the tax would be scrapped but would be covered by creating an unspecified levy, in anticipation of budget shortfalls.
"The structure will be changed but the tax rate level will be maintained," he told reporters. "Now I must frankly apologise for failing to stick to our manifesto."
The scrapping of the petrol tax was one of highlights of the party's manifesto as it ended half a century of almost unbroken rule by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party.
Hatoyama's party has also promised, as another key policy of his "people-first" government, to provide monthly allowances to families with children, regardless of their income.
Now, the premier said his government would "not basically impose an income limit to the system". But he added that families who do not want child allowance could contribute the money to a fund to be created by the government.
Hatoyama was being pressed on the issues as the end of December is the customary deadline for the government to work out a draft budget for the fiscal year which starting the following April.
Hatoyama's government, came to power with resounding popular support, has been widely criticised for being vague and inconsistent – particularly over a 2006 government-level accord to relocate a US military air base from an urban area to a scenic coastal area of Okinawa.
Its support has dipped below 50 per cent for the first time to 46.8 per cent, according to a weekend poll by Jiji Press.
On Monday, two major newspapers also reported the approval rating had plunged sharply on public concerns about Hatoyama's lack of leadership.
The Asahi Shimbun said the approval rating fell to 48 per cent in its weekend survey from 62 per cent in its previous poll last month.
The Mainichi Shimbun said the rating stood at 55 per cent in its weekend poll, down nine points from last month.
- AFP/so
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