Across Asia: Japan

PM's ratings slide further

Only one in five Japanese voters backs Prime Minister Taro Aso's government, polls showed yesterday, a tumble in popularity that erodes his clout with his fractious party as he struggles with an economy in recession.

The surveys cast fresh doubt on Aso's ability to control policy decisions and keep his job, or even to prevent the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from unravelling ahead of a general election that must be held by next September.