A joint survey conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun and South Korean newspaper Hankook Ilbo found that both Japanese and South Korean respondents strongly distrusted the other country's leader.
The survey asked whether the respective leaders of Japan, South Korea, the United States, China and North Korea are trustworthy.
When asked whether Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is trustworthy, 48 percent of Japanese responded affirmatively, while 46 percent said he is "not trustworthy." Among South Korean respondents, only 5 percent said Abe is "trustworthy," as opposed to 93 percent who described him as "not trustworthy."
Seventy-nine percent of South Korean respondents said South Korean President Moon Jae In is "trustworthy," a sentiment shared by only 21 percent of Japanese respondents. Sixty-six percent of Japanese respondents answered that Moon is "not trustworthy."
With respect to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, only 4 percent of Japanese respondents described Kim as "trustworthy," with 90 percent saying he is "not trustworthy." Although only 26 percent of South Korean respondents said Kim is "trustworthy," the figure nevertheless exceeds the percentage who trust Abe. Seventy percent of South Korean respondents do not trust Kim.
Regarding U.S. President Donald Trump, 24 percent of Japanese respondents and 33 percent of South Korean respondents said they trust the U.S. leader.
Eleven percent of Japanese respondents and 23 percent of South Korean respondents also described Chinese President Xi Jinping as "trustworthy."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
