Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has fallen sharply amid the controversy over his push to expand the role of the military.

Recent media polls put support for his Cabinet at the 35-40 percent range, the lowest since he took office in December 2012.

In a survey published in the conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper, his government’s support rate dropped 6.8 percentage points to 39.3 percent while the disapproval rate rose 10.2 percentage points to 52.6 percent.

The disapproval rate also edged up to more than 50 percent in two other polls, by Kyodo news service and the Mainichi Shimbun.

A poll by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper put his support rate at 37 percent and disapproval rate at 46 percent.