Since the administration of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol came to power, efforts have been made alongside the Japanese government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to alleviate the strained bilateral relations between the two countries. A joint survey conducted by media in both Japan and South Korea at the end of last month showed that as relations gradually improved, the favorability ratings between the two countries’ citizens have reached the highest level in 13 years.
According to a report by Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun, the survey was carried out jointly by the newspaper and the Korea Times from May 24 to 26. 48% of Japanese respondents and 33% of South Korean respondents indicated a sense of closeness (favorability) towards the other country, both reaching their highest values since the issue was first raised in 2011.
The percentage of Japanese respondents who consider current Japan-South Korea relations as “good” has exceeded 50% for the first time since 2011, rising from 45% last year to the current 53%; South Korea, for the second consecutive year, has exceeded 40%, currently standing at 42%, almost the same as last year (43%).
Regarding strengthening trilateral security cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea, 86% of Japanese respondents and 79% of South Korean respondents expressed support. When asked which country, the United States or China, is more important to their own country, 73% of Japanese respondents and 68% of South Korean respondents believe the United States is more important, while 19% of Japanese respondents and 28% of South Korean respondents think China is more important.
Looking to the future of Japan-South Korea relations, 57% of Japanese respondents stated that it would be best to deepen friendly relations even if there are differences in historical understanding, while 41% of Japanese respondents believe that differences in historical understanding will hinder the deepening of friendly relations. In South Korea, 49% of respondents think it is best to deepen friendly relations, while 50% believe it will be difficult to do so.
In March last year, the South Korean government decided to resolve the issue of compensation for wartime forced Korean labor victims by having a South Korean government-affiliated foundation pay substantial compensation on behalf of Japanese companies. In Japan, 51% (down from 57% previously) of respondents expressed “appreciation” while 39% (up from 31% previously) said “disapproval”; in South Korea, 34% (down from 36% previously) expressed “appreciation” and 61% (up from 59% previously) expressed “disapproval”.
The survey was conducted over the phone with adults aged 18 and older in both Japan and South Korea, with 1,045 Japanese citizens and 1,000 South Korean citizens providing responses.
For a long time, Japan and South Korea have been at odds over a series of historical issues. South Korea claims that Japan has never formally apologized or atoned for its colonial rule history, while Japan insists that the issue of compensation for wartime victims has been thoroughly resolved since the signing of the 1965 Japan-Korea Claims Agreement.
In March last year, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made a two-day visit to Japan, seen as a “thawing trip” in Korea-Japan relations. The Japanese side also actively responded to this “olive branch”. In May of the same year, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited South Korea, marking the start of shuttle diplomacy between the two countries after 12 years.
At the same time, the trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea began to strengthen in terms of high-level interactions, strategic coordination, security collaboration, economic cooperation, and institutional development, achieving significant progress.