Support for Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is at 41 percent of voters, up from 33 percent in January, an Asahi Shimbun poll shows.
The January poll was the lowest support level the prime minister had seen since he took office in April 2001.
Of those surveyed, 34 percent said they would vote for the opposition Democratic Party if an election were held right now, while only 30 percent said they would vote for Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party.
As for relations with North Korea, 90 percent of those polled said they were wary of the current situation, and 61 percent said that the government should impose economic sanctions against Kim Jong Il's regime.
The newspaper surveyed 1,782 voters for two days from Feb. 19 to 20.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
