64% of Japanese Citizens "Expect Improvement in Korea-Japan Relations"... Positive on 'Korean Forced Labor Solution' as Well

Mainichi Shimbun Poll Results
Expectations Rise After Summit Meeting

Two out of three Japanese citizens expect an improvement in Korea-Japan relations, and more than half have a positive view of the South Korean government's solution to the issue of compensation for forced laborers during Japanese colonial rule (forced labor).

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who visited Japan for a 2-day, 1-night trip, are having dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife at a sukiyaki and shabu-shabu specialty restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, on the 16th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to a telephone survey conducted by Mainichi Shimbun on the 18th and 19th targeting Japanese voters aged 18 and over, 64% responded "expect" to the question, "Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held talks with President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 16th; do you expect an improvement in Korea-Japan relations?" Only 28% answered "do not expect."

Regarding the South Korean government's announcement on the 6th about a solution to the forced labor compensation issue, 54% of respondents evaluated it positively, while negative evaluations accounted for only 26%.

Earlier, a telephone survey conducted by Kyodo News from the 11th to the 13th targeting Japanese voters aged 18 and over nationwide showed that 57.1% positively evaluated South Korea's announcement on the forced labor solution, while negative evaluations were 33.3%.

However, in response to the question about the outlook for Korea-Japan relations, 67.6% answered "no change," and only 26.3% said "will improve."

The visit of President Yoon to Japan and the Korea-Japan summit on the 16th and 17th are interpreted as having increased expectations among the Japanese public for an improvement in Korea-Japan relations.

Meanwhile, in this Mainichi Shimbun survey, the approval rating of the Kishida Cabinet was 33%, up 7 percentage points compared to the survey conducted on the 18th and 19th of last month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.