Poll: 57% of Japanese respondents say Tokyo should improve ties with China

(ECNS) -- A majority of Japanese respondents believe Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi should step up efforts to improve relations with China, according to a nationwide telephone survey conducted by Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun on Saturday and Sunday.

The poll found that 57% of respondents said Takaichi should make greater efforts to improve Japan-China relations, while 35% said there was no need to do so.

Japan-China relations have remained strained since Takaichi made erroneous remarks on China's Taiwan in November last year. Even among supporters of Takaichi's Cabinet, 51% said the government should make greater efforts to improve ties with China, compared with 44% who said it should not. Among those who did not support the Cabinet, the corresponding figures were 69% and 25%.

The survey also suggested a more cautious public assessment of Takaichi's summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month. About 44% of respondents viewed the meeting positively, while 38% said they did not. By comparison, 67% gave a positive assessment of Takaichi's first summit with Trump shortly after taking office in October last year.

Japanese scholars have also expressed concern about the country's current diplomatic position as signs of improved communication between China and the U.S. emerge.

Kawashima Shin, a professor at the University of Tokyo, told J-CAST News on Monday that if Japan-U.S.-China relations are viewed as a triangle, dialogue between China and the U.S. is becoming increasingly active. Although Japan and the U.S. maintain an alliance, Japan-China relations have become a blank space, he said.

Former Japanese diplomat Hitoshi Tanaka warned that if the current situation continues, it would represent a failure of Japanese diplomacy. He also attributed the deterioration in Japan-China relations to Sanae Takaichi's policies.

Some Japanese internet users have also questioned why Japan is not making greater efforts to improve ties with China at a time when the U.S. is seeking to improve its relations with Beijing.

Meanwhile, Takaichi's government is facing pressure over both rising defense spending and fiscal sustainability.

Bloomberg reported on Monday that Japan is considering setting a new medium-term target to raise defense spending to 3.5% of GDP over the next decade.

The government is also pursuing several costly initiatives, including a 14-year growth strategy and a temporary reduction in the consumption tax on food, prompting investor concerns over how the additional spending will be financed.

(By Gong Weiwei)