In a public opinion poll conducted jointly by Japanese and South Korean private organizations, about 50% of the respondents answered that the current relationship between Japan and South Korea was "bad", and about 80% on the South Korean side, both slightly improved from last year. However, the Japan-South Korea relations, which have been chilled by the comfort women issue and the issue of "recruitment" during the Pacific War, still cast a shadow over the consciousness of both peoples.
This opinion poll has been conducted annually by the Japanese NPO "Genron NPO" and the Korean think tank "East Asia Research Institute" since 2013, and about 1,000 people from both Japan and South Korea responded from August to September. Did.
According to the survey results released on the 28th, 52.7% of the respondents who answered "very bad" or "somewhat bad" about the current relationship between Japan and South Korea were 52.7% on the Japanese side, 2 points lower than last year, and on the Korean side. It was 81%, 7.4 points lower than last year.
Although both have improved a little, the Japan-South Korea relations, which have been chilled by the comfort women issue and the issue of "recruitment" during the Pacific War, still cast a shadow over the consciousness of both people.
In addition, 46.1% of the Japanese side and 48.3% of the South Korean side answered "no change" to the question of whether Japan-South Korea relations will improve under the new administration of South Korea, which will be launched in May next year. Both account for nearly half.
Yasushi Kudo, the representative of "Genron NPO," said, "The feelings between the people of Japan and South Korea are still chilling, but there is also a change in consciousness due to the conflict between the United States and China. We have to take action. "