Tokyo  - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is enjoying a boost in public support as opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa is dragged down by a scandal over party funding, media reports said Thursday.

The support rate for Aso's administration increased 7.7 percentage points to 23.7 per cent from early March, according to a survey by the Kyodo News Agency.

It once tanked to single-digits, going as low as 9.7 per cent in February.

Although the disapproval rate for the Aso cabinet remains high at 63.5 per cent, the number of people who wish for the resignation of opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DJP) President Ichiro Ozawa has climbed.

The survey results showed that 66.6 per cent of those interviewed thought Ozawa should step down.

The 66-year-old veteran politician decided to continue serving a party leader even after prosecutors indicted his political secretary for allegedly violating a law controlling political funds.

Takanori Okubo, who manages accounts for Ozawa's political group Rikuzankai, is suspected of receiving donations from trouble-ridden Nishimatsu Construction Co.

The majority surveyed said Ozawa should take responsibility for the scandal and step down as most other politicians in similar situations did in the past.

Before the scandal broke, political analysts expected a turnaround for the DJP to win majority in the upcoming lower house elections slated for this fall.

Meanwhile, Aso accepted the resignation of from Senior Vice Finance Minister Koichi Hirata.

Hirata sold a large number of stocks of a plasterboard maker via off-market trading earlier this month, which violates ethics code for ministers. (dpa)