The Worst May Be Coming for Japan’s Abe Even as Virus Eases
- Prime minister’s support plunges to record low in new poll
- Botched rollouts, prosecutor scandal dent outbreak success
This article is for subscribers only.
Japan’s coronavirus emergency ended on Monday, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s political troubles may be just beginning.
Abe’s efforts to curb the outbreak and ease its economic damage have been widely ridiculed as slow and ineffective. He’s been outshone by regional governors, who pressed him to finally call the state of emergency credited with halting the spread of infections for now. Now, a favoritism scandal has helped push his approval rating to a level that has forced past premiers to resign.