It is an alarming and deplorable situation. An annual survey released by the Cabinet Office on Dec. 20 showed that as much as 83 percent of Japanese people polled do not feel a sense of affinity toward China, while 66 percent of them gave the same answer with regard to their feelings toward South Korea. Both numbers are the worst on record since the government started taking comparable surveys in 1978.
An overwhelming majority of people in this country have negative sentiments toward Asian neighbors that the government calls "partners responsible for the peace and prosperity of the region and the international community."
Other surveys taken earlier indicate that people in China and South Korea reciprocate by expressing unfavorable feelings toward Japan. But the same polls also show that a majority of people in Japan, China and South Korea are concerned about the current state of their mutual relations and think that they need to improve it. Obviously the governments need to take the initiative for that effort.