Japanese Sentiment on China Falls to Worst Level: Poll

Tokyo, Dec. 20 (Jiji Press)--The proportion of Japanese who do not
feel close to China surged to a record high of 77.8 pct, an annual survey on
diplomacy by Japan's Cabinet Office showed Saturday.
The figure, which was up sharply from 58.5 pct in last year's
survey, includes the proportion of respondents who said they tend not to
feel close to China.
The figure of 77.8 pct is the highest since the government started
the poll in 1978.
"Japanese people's sentiment on China was significantly affected by
tensions that flared up between Japan and China" due to a ship collision
incident near disputed islands in the East China Sea in September, a Foreign
Ministry official said.
The latest survey also showed that respondents who have an affinity
toward China or who tend to have an affinity toward China accounted for an
all-time low of 20.0 pct, down 18.5 percentage points from last year.
The proportion of respondents who think Japan-China relations are
favorable or who tend to think so tumbled 30.2 points to 8.3 pct, the lowest
on record.
In last year's survey, Japanese sentiment on China somewhat
improved following the launch of a government by the Democratic Party of
Japan, known for its policy to value relationships with China.
Meanwhile, the latest survey showed that respondents who think
Japan-U.S. relations are favorable or who tend to think so comprised 73.0
pct, down 8.8 points, while those who think the opposite accounted for 24.5
pct, up 10.1 points.
The results apparently reflect strains in the bilateral ties over
the controversial relocation plan for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air
station in Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan.
Asked about Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N.
Security Council, a record-high 83.2 pct showed support.
The Cabinet Office conducted the survey on 3,000 adults across
Japan on Oct. 21-31. Valid responses were received from 65.1 pct of them.