Public Sentiment Toward China, South Korea Improves in Japan

In a public survey on foreign affairs by Japan’s Cabinet Office, the percentage of respondents who had “friendly feeling” toward China (including “somewhat friendly feelings”) increased 2.0 points from the previous year’s survey to 14.7%. The figure for South Korea rose by 3.5 points to 56.3%. Positive sentiment toward South Korea has been improving in recent years, particularly among the young, with 72.6% of those aged 18 to 28 reporting friendly feelings.

The percentage of respondents who considered relations with China to be “good” or “somewhat good” rose to 8.8% (up 3.2 points) while the figure for South Korea climbed to 51.2% (up 5.1 points), signaling a more positive perception of relations.

The percentage of respondents who expressed friendly feelings toward the United States stood at 84.9%, while for Australia, it was 76.0%. For Russia, it remained roughly unchanged from the previous survey at 5.0%, a stark contrast to when it was around 20% in the 2010s as Prime Minister Abe Shinzō engaged in repeated talks with President Vladimir Putin. The figure plummeted following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The survey was conducted by mail from October 17 to November 24, 2024. It targeted 3,000 people aged 18 and older nationwide. The response rate was 57.8% (1,734 people).

Regarding United Nations reform, 89.3% of respondents supported Japan becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council, while 8.5% opposed it. As for Japan’s role in UN peacekeeping, disaster relief, election monitoring, and other global human resource contributions, 19.0% believed Japan should take a more proactive approach, which was a 4.3-point drop from last year’s survey. Meanwhile, 65.7% favored maintaining the current level of involvement, up 1.3 points from the previous year.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Opening of the Japan-Korea Exchange Festival held at Komazawa Olympic Park in Setagaya, Tokyo on September 28, 2024. © Jiji.)