The summit between the prime minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was highly rated by 65% of the respondents in a nationwide public opinion poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun from March 17 -- 19, although 24% did not rate it highly.
Despite this, the approval rating for Kishida cabinet was 42%, almost unchanged from 41% in the previous poll conducted February 17 -- 19. In the previous poll, 58% rated the disapproval rate as higher than the 31% who said they did not, as well as the South Korean government's solution to the legal issue of former wartime workers from the Korean Peninsula. A South Korean foundation will pay an amount similar to the compensation the two defendant Japanese firms were ordered to pay, a solution announced by the South Korean government on March 6.
Regarding future relations between the two countries, 32% predicted they will improve, 4% said they will worsen and 61% expected them to remain the same.
As to the issues that respondents want the Kishida administration to prioritize with multiple answers allowed by 90% of the cited economy and employment, high prices were cited by 85%, pensions and other social security by 78% and falling birth rate by 74%. 91% of respondents said that it was appropriate to expel GaaSyy, the House of Councillors, real name Yoshikazu Higashitani.
The poll shows that 74% rated the decision to leave it up to individuals to wear a mask to protect against the coronaviruses from mid-March, far more than 24% who were not positive.
Ninety-two percent said they felt the burden of high prices on household finances, and 55% said they felt it a lot. The Bank of Japan incoming governor, Kazuo Ueda, indicated his intention to continue the large-scale monetary easing, which was appreciated by 57%, while 23% were negative toward it.
When asked which party supported the Liberal Democratic Party, 35% chose the Liberal Democratic Party, unchanged from February, and 5% chose the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and other parties, down 1 point from the previous poll. The 42% share of those who supported no party was up from 39%.
Recent moves to improve relations between Japan and South Korea were accepted by middle-aged people and older generations who have traditionally held harsher views on South Korea.
Regarding Thursday's summit meeting between Japan and South Korea, 69% of those aged 60 and over and 66% of those aged 40 59 rated it positively, which is approximately 10 percentage points higher than the 56% of those aged 18-39. As for future relations between Japan and South Korea, 37% of those aged 60 and over, and 32% of 40 59 expect them to improve, compared to 25% of the 18-39 age group.
A series of Korean responses, such as Yoon's solution to the problem of lawsuits by former wartime workers, appear to have come as a surprise to the middle-aged and older generations.
In a joint survey conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun and a South Korean newspaper in May last year, 70% of those aged 60 and over and 71% of those aged 40-59 said they did not trust South Kore 1 much or at all. Only 59% of those aged 18-39 said the same, and the younger generation were not as harsh in their views of South Korea, being exposed to Korean trends and music.