Poll: 77% of Chinese believe that a good relationship with Japan is important

Is the relationship between Japan and China improving? President Hu and this poll indicate that such may be the case:

Over 75 percent of Chinese citizens believe that a good relationship with Japan is “important”, according to a survey in Monday’s China Youth Daily.

The survey of 2,948 people across China follows Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “ice-breaking” visit to China on October 8-9.

About 76.9 percent of respondees believed that a good China-Japan relationship is “very important” or “relatively important”, according to the survey, which was sponsored by the newspaper.

“Only 7.1 percent believed it is ‘not important’ or ‘not very important’,” the report said.

Meanwhile, the newspaper said about 45.2 percent of the people believed that Abe’s China visit has had a “positive impact” on frosty China-Japan ties, 6.5 percentage higher than those who disagreed.

The newspaper also quoted a poll by Japan’s Kyodo News Service on October 10 and 11, saying that 83.2 percent of the Japanese people took a “positive” or “fairly positive” view of Abe’s recent visit to China and the Republic of Korea.

“The survey results show people’s desire for China-Japan friendship,” the report said.

Whether or not this good feeling can survive a few Abe visits to Yasukuni is another question:

93.4 percent of Chinese people believe that the Yasukuni Shrine issue must be handled in a proper way in order to maintain a long-term, stable and healthy China-Japan relationship.

The newspaper quoted unnamed analysts who said both Chinese and Japanese leaders showed great sincerity during Abe’s China visit. They hoped that China-Japan relations would “shine brightly after the gloom”.

On the historical issues, Abe told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao that Japan had caused severe damage and pain to the Asian people during World War II. He said he felt, and would continue to feel, deep remorse about that period of history.

The newspaper said the Chinese people welcomed Abe’s attitude towards history, and remained “prudently optimistic” about China-Japan ties since Abe had not yet made it clear whether or not he would visit the Yasukuni Shrine in the future.

I guess we’ll have to wait until August 15, 2007…

[Hat tip to Zero]