Japan public sentiment toward China worsens, Cabinet Office survey finds

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Japanese public sentiment toward China worsened in 2023, a Cabinet Office survey has shown, amid rows over the Fukushima wastewater release and other issues.

According to the survey released Friday, 86.7% of respondents felt unfriendly toward China, up 4.9 percentage points from the preceding year, while 12.7% felt friendly, down 5.1 points.

The proportion of those that believe Japan-China ties are important to both countries and the Asia-Pacific region dropped 5.3 points to a record low of 68.2%.

The mail survey, conducted from Sept. 7 through Oct. 15 last year, covered 3,000 people aged 18 or older across Japan, of which 55% provided valid replies.

Japanese sentiment toward China was negatively affected by Beijing’s ban on Japanese seafood imports following the release into the ocean of treated wastewater from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, a Foreign Ministry official said.

The survey also found that public sentiment toward South Korea improved substantially, reflecting improvement in bilateral relations after a meeting between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in March last year.

Respondents who viewed Japan-South Korea ties as smooth accounted for 46.1%, up 17.8 points, while those with negative assessments fell 17.5 points to stand at 49.8%.

Meanwhile, a record 95.3%, up 0.6 point, expressed no affinity to Russia, which continues its invasion of Ukraine.(THEJAPANTIMES)