InsideJapan News Network

A cabinet reshuffled by Japan's prime minister Yasuo Fukuda has seen a slight rise in the public's opinion of him, new polls suggest.

A Yomiuri Shimbun survey conducted over the weekend found that the approval rating of the premier's cabinet had increased by 1.7 per cent to 28.3 per cent.

Meanwhile, however, the poll found disapproval ratings of 59.7 per cent, a drop of 1.6 per cent on the previous survey conducted last month.

When asked why they did not support Mr Fukuda's cabinet, 43 per cent said they disagreed with his political stances, while 42 per cent they did not feel positively towards his economic policies.

Following his reshuffle, the prime minister announced he had created a "cabinet for realising peace of mind".

He also said that since his election he has been undertaking reforms at a government level with the aim of "changing the direction of politics and administration for the sake of the nation's citizens".