Japan PM rebukes minister as support ratings slide

Japanese Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party leader Shinzo Abe is seen between reporters as he delivers a speech during a policy debate session with main opposition Democratic Party leader Ichiro Ozawa (not pictured) in Tokyo July 1, 2007.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rebuked his defense minister on Monday for remarks that appeared to accept the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of two Japanese cities, as his poll rating slid below 30 percent just weeks before an upper house election.

Government mismanagement of pension records and voter concern about political corruption have left Abe struggling to win back support ahead of the July 29 election.

Abe, 52, was dealt a fresh blow on Saturday when Defense Minister Kyuma sparked public anger by saying he thought the U.S. atomic bomb attacks on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War Two "could not be helped".

Kyuma apologized on Sunday, but opposition lawmakers called for his resignation after the latest in a series of gaffes.

Leaders of four opposition parties gathered on Monday with atomic bomb victims to demand that Kyuma resign.

"Of course we are demanding the resignation of Minister Kyuma, but at the same time, the responsibility of the Abe cabinet and prime minister Abe who continue to protect him is very grave," senior Communist Party lawmaker Tadayoshi Ichida told the gathering.

Ichida said he wanted to call Kyuma to testify before a parliamentary budget committee to explain his remarks.

Abe urged Kyuma to "take strict care with his remarks," the defense minister told reporters after the two held a meeting at the prime minister's official residence on Monday.

Abe said later in the day that he would not sack Kyuma.

The blunder comes at a bad time for Abe. Only 28 percent of those who responded to a weekend Asahi newspaper poll said they supported him, down from 31 percent in the previous survey a week earlier and the weakest result for the once popular leader since he came to office last September.

Some 48 percent of respondents to the survey said they did not support the prime minister.

PENSION WOES

A separate poll published by Jiji news agency in June put Abe's support at 28.8 percent -- the first time a Japanese prime minister's support rate had fallen below 30 percent since 2001.

The gaffe-prone prime minister at that time, Yoshiro Mori, was swiftly replaced to improve the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's chances in an upper house election that year.

A poll in the Mainichi Shimbun also published on Monday showed support for Abe at 32 percent, while 52 percent of respondents said they did not support him, the highest percentage recorded during his premiership.

Almost two-thirds of respondents to the Mainichi poll said they were not happy with Abe's efforts to clear up the chaos in the pensions system after the government lost track of millions of premium payments, sparking public anxiety.

Despite Abe's woes, however, the Democrats have not pulled far ahead in opinion surveys.

Abe would not automatically have to step down if his LDP-led coalition loses its majority in the upper house, and the ruling camp might be able to woo independent lawmakers or members of a small conservative party to keep its grip on the chamber.

But a big loss would mean the ruling bloc could not enact legislation, which must be approved by both houses of parliament, threatening political paralysis and sparking calls for Abe to quit or even call a snap lower house election.

(Additional reporting by Linda Sieg and Teruaki Ueno)