The public approval rating for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi now stands at 54.6 percent, up 4.6 percentage points from December, according to the results of a Kyodo News survey released Monday.
The disapproval rating for the Koizumi Cabinet has fallen by 3.6 points to 30.8 percent, the news agency said.
Kyodo contacted 1,623 eligible voters on a random basis by telephone on Saturday and Sunday, of whom 1,061 gave valid responses.