A joint public opinion survey between Japan and China showed Thursday that 42.2 percent -- the highest figure since the survey began in 2005 -- of Chinese have either a favorable or a relatively favorable impression of Japan, up 10.7 percentage points from 2017.
The result appears to stem from the improvement in bilateral relations, such as an increase in the number of Chinese visitors to Japan and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's first visit to Japan.
No major change was seen regarding the sentiment of Japanese respondents toward China, with 13.1 percent having a good impression of the country.
On the other hand, 79.4 percent -- up 11.8 percentage points from the previous year -- of Chinese felt that Japan posed a military threat to their country, with the major reason being "Japan is cooperating with the United States to militarily surround China."
Meanwhile, 57.5 percent -- up 12.2 percentage points from the previous year -- of Japanese respondents perceived China as a military threat, the second highest result after North Korea.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of the Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty. However, about 40 percent of the respondents from both countries said their nations have not absolutely or have not really been able to realize the ideals of the treaty. The result shows that there still remain deep gaps between Japan and China over such topics as the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture and historical issues.
This was the 14th joint public opinion poll conducted by the Genron NPO and China International Publishing Group from August through September on 1,000 people aged 18 or older across Japan, as well as on 1,548 people aged 18 or older from 10 cities in China, including Beijing and Shanghai.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
