Survey Finds Japan-South Korea Relationship Best It’s Been in Years
14:10 JST, June 15, 2023
More than 40% of residents in both Japan and South Korea consider the state of the bilateral relationship “good,” significantly higher than in 2022, according to the latest joint survey conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun and South Korean newspaper Hankook Ilbo.
It is believed that moves toward improving relations at the government level since the Japan-South Korea summit meeting in March have been reflected in the perceptions of the two countries’ peoples.
In the survey conducted from May 26 to 28, the percentage of those who said the current relationship between Japan and South Korea is good increased to 45% in Japan and 43% in South Korea, both up from 17% from the previous survey in 2022. It is notable that in Japan, this was the first time since 2011 that over 40% of the respondents answered that way. In South Korea, the figure was the highest ever among the 19 surveys conducted since 1995, when the question was first asked, and tied with 1995.
In Japan, 40% said they could trust South Korea, up 10 percentage points from the previous survey, while in South Korea, 28% said they could trust Japan, compared to 25% in 2022. Although at low levels, both are the highest since 1996, when this question began to be asked.
As for the solution to the lawsuits issue of former wartime requisitioned workers from the Korean Peninsula by the South Korean government, in Japan 57% said they supported it and 31% said they did not, while in South Korea, 36% said they supported it and 59% said they did not. Only a small number of respondents – 22% in Japan and 18% in South Korea – thought Seoul’s efforts will bring the issue toward a final settlement.
Differences were seen between Japanese and South Korean respondents in how they evaluate the ongoing efforts to rebuild bilateral relations through a series of summit meetings between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. In Japan, 84% said they supported the efforts, far exceeding the 13% who said they did not, while in South Korea, 47% said they supported the efforts, which was close to the 49% who did not.
While 85% in Japan approved of Yoon’s attitude toward improving relations with Japan without being preoccupied with history issues, only 50% in South Korea approved of it.
The survey was conducted by telephone among voters aged 18 or older in both Japan and South Korea.
"World" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
-
UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’
-
Search Continues for Missing People After 72-Hour Window Ends in Quake-Hit Taiwan; Weather Complicating Rescue Efforts
-
Former U.S. Pacific Command Head Touts Alliance; Harris Sees China, World Through ‘Dark Lens’
-
Air Raid Sirens, Explosions Rock Southern Israel in Iranian Attack; Guests Seek Refuge in Hotel Shelter
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’