Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi styles herself after Margaret Thatcher, who famously was not for turning. But successful long-term governing sometimes requires a little bending.

Takaichi may need to discover the value of that after her support fell by 10 percentage points or more in recent polls, taking some of the shine off an administration elected with a historic mandate less than half a year ago. Opponents of a leader who until recently looked untouchable have become emboldened.

Panic is premature. Almost all Japanese prime ministers go through this pattern of early inflated expectations, followed by a crash as fatigue sets in, along with the realities of passing legislation in a system designed to move slowly. Even historically successful premiers like her mentor, Shinzo Abe, and the popular 2000s premier Junichiro Koizumi suffered similar dips.