Japan PM's voter support ratings put snap election in doubt

Japan's new prime minister, Taro Aso, has debuted in the job with voter support of just under 50 percent, a survey showed yesterday, clouding the outlook for an early general election.

Aso's Cabinet won support from 48.6 percent of voters polled by Kyodo news agency, about double the rating of his predecessor, Yasuo Fukuda, before he quit this month but well under the nearly 60 percent Fukuda enjoyed when he took office.

Aso, Japan's third premier in a year, unveiled his Cabinet on Wednesday and the poll was conducted on the same day.