The public approval rating for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has climbed to 57.7 percent, up slightly from 56.2 percent in July, a survey said Sunday.

The Cabinet's disapproval rating meanwhile fell to 25.6 percent, down from 31.7 percent the previous month, it said.

In a nationwide telephone survey conducted Saturday and Sunday by Kyodo News, 29.1 percent of the respondents said the consumption tax rate should remain at 5 percent, rather than being raised to 8 percent next April as scheduled.