Almost half of Japanese voters want Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to resign, a survey showed yesterday, as calls to do so came not just from the opposition but from within his own party in the wake of its election bashing.

Abe's approval rate also slid below 30 percent level, seen as critical for a Cabinet to stay in power, according to the poll conducted by Kyodo news agency on Monday and yesterday.

The hawkish Abe has vowed to stay on despite the loss of his coalition's majority in the upper house in Sunday's vote - his first big electoral test since taking office last September.