<p>Forty-nine per cent of those who responded to a survey by the Asahi daily said Kan should step down immediately.<br /><br />Since taking office last June, public support for Kan Japan's fifth leader in less than four years has quickly evaporated, with voters citing a lack of leadership.<br /><br />Recent polls showed support for Kan's Cabinet plummeting to below 20 per cent, raising questions about how long he may last.<br /><br />A separate survey by the Mainichi daily showed public support for Kan dropping to an all-time low of 19 percent, down 10 percentage points from a month ago.<br /><br />In the Mainichi survey, around 34 per cent of respondents said Kan lacked leadership, while another 34 per cent said their expectations of the prime minister were low.<br /><br />The results underline deepening public frustration with the government and raise questions about Kan's political longevity.<br /><br />They cast a pall over Kan's ability to formulate and implement measures to tackle Japan's pressing problems, including a lackluster economy, a rapidly aging population and a ballooning public debt.<br /><br />The Asahi said its telephone survey covered 3,484 randomly selected households. It received valid responses from 2,082 individuals on Saturday and yesterday.<br /><br />No margin of error was given, but a poll of that size would generally have a margin of error of about three percentage points.<br /><br />The Mainichi said its telephone survey covered 1,492 randomly selected households. It received valid responses from 989 individuals on Saturday and yesterday.<br /><br />The paper gave no margin of error, but a poll of that size would generally have a margin of error of about five percentage points.</p>
<p>Forty-nine per cent of those who responded to a survey by the Asahi daily said Kan should step down immediately.<br /><br />Since taking office last June, public support for Kan Japan's fifth leader in less than four years has quickly evaporated, with voters citing a lack of leadership.<br /><br />Recent polls showed support for Kan's Cabinet plummeting to below 20 per cent, raising questions about how long he may last.<br /><br />A separate survey by the Mainichi daily showed public support for Kan dropping to an all-time low of 19 percent, down 10 percentage points from a month ago.<br /><br />In the Mainichi survey, around 34 per cent of respondents said Kan lacked leadership, while another 34 per cent said their expectations of the prime minister were low.<br /><br />The results underline deepening public frustration with the government and raise questions about Kan's political longevity.<br /><br />They cast a pall over Kan's ability to formulate and implement measures to tackle Japan's pressing problems, including a lackluster economy, a rapidly aging population and a ballooning public debt.<br /><br />The Asahi said its telephone survey covered 3,484 randomly selected households. It received valid responses from 2,082 individuals on Saturday and yesterday.<br /><br />No margin of error was given, but a poll of that size would generally have a margin of error of about three percentage points.<br /><br />The Mainichi said its telephone survey covered 1,492 randomly selected households. It received valid responses from 989 individuals on Saturday and yesterday.<br /><br />The paper gave no margin of error, but a poll of that size would generally have a margin of error of about five percentage points.</p>