Focus group shows bad
relationship between China and Japan
Focus group hold in China
and Japan
We knew the
diplomatic relations between China and Japan are execrable. A focus group hold
in Japan reveals the scale of the disenchantment between their respective citizens,
a deterioration mainly connected to territorial disputes between both Asian
powers.
More than
half Chinese glimpse even the possibility of a military conflict in the future,
against 29 % Japanese side, according to this focus group led by the Japanese
independent think tank Genron NPO and the newspaper of State China Daily.
For the
last year, the perception of the Japanese towards the Middle Kingdom degraded.
From now on 93 % of them have a "unfavorable" impression of it,
against 90,1 % previously, what already represented a record since the
implementation of the focus group in 2005.
In cause, «the
hegemonic attitude " of China, which the actions are judged «incompatible
with the international law ". It claimed will to monopolize the natural
and energy resources is also pointed.
The Chinese
are on their side 86,8 % not to be thought of the good of Japan, that is a
slight improvement with regard to the 92,8 % recorded in 2013.
Many reasons for this bad
feeling
The heart
of the problem is the nationalization by Japan two years ago exactly of three
of the islands of the small uninhabited archipelago Senkaku, at the origin of a
deep diplomatic quarrel between both countries. These territories situated at
sea by oriental China are administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing under
the naming Diaoyu.
Other
reason called by the questioned member of the focus group in China: the
historic vision of Japan which has difficulty in recognizing the exactions of its
soldiers during the war.
But in the
end, this dark image bases on no concrete experience, because the direct
interaction between both peoples is very low. Few questioned by Japanese focus
group visited China (14,3 %), and very few Chinese focus group respondent did
so in Japan (6,4 %). As a result, their feeling bases itself widely on the
information brought back by the media of their own country.
Most of the
people sounded in both countries (between 70 and 80 %) consider however that
this situation is not bearable and that it is necessary to bring to her a
solution quickly.
In the same
direction, China Daily qualified this poll of "worrying", calling the
Sino-Japanese managers to meet as quickly as possible. It said it before
adding: «the ball is in the camp of Japan ".
Since their
coming to power at the end of 2012, the Japanese right Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe and the Chinese president Xi Jinping have never held bilateral summit, in
spite of the numerous calls of Mr. Abe. He «has to prove by concrete acts that
he wishes sincerely an improvement of the relations ", insists the everyday
life.
The focus
group was realized in July and August from the answers of 1.000 Japanese and
1.539 Chinese of 18 or more years old.