TOKYO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The public approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's cabinet slipped 4.8 percentage points from the previous month to 23.1 percent in April, the lowest level since the launch of his administration in October last year, a Jiji Press survey showed Thursday.

The disapproval rating for the Ishiba cabinet, meanwhile, climbed 7.1 percentage points to 51.2 percent, exceeding 50 percent for the first time, according to the opinion poll.

The survey, conducted over four days through Monday, covered 2,000 people aged 18 and older across the country, with valid responses at 57.0 percent.

The survey found that 68.4 percent of respondents support a consumption tax cut as a way to reduce the impact of higher prices and the U.S. administration's sweeping tariffs, vastly outnumbering the 14.0 percent against it.

When asked about the reason for supporting Ishiba's cabinet, 10.6 percent of respondents, the largest group, said there is no one else suitable to be prime minister.

The most common reason for disapproving of the cabinet, cited by 28.9 percent, was that it is not promising, followed by distrust of the prime minister at 21.3 percent and a lack of leadership at 19.8 percent. ■