Survey Shows Deteriorating Sino-Japanese Relations

A recent joint poll by Japan's Genron NPO and China's International Communications Group reveals that nearly 90% of respondents in both countries hold unfavorable views of each other, with 87.7% of Chinese respondents expressing negative sentiments towards Japan, a sharp increase of 24.8 percentage points from last year. This marks the second-highest level since the survey began in 2005, reflecting persistent tensions over issues like the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands and Japan's discharge of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Conversely, 89% of Japanese respondents view China unfavorably, though this figure has decreased slightly from the previous year. The poll also highlights a significant drop in the perceived importance of Japan-China relations, with 59.6% of Chinese respondents deeming them unimportant, a 40.5 percentage point increase from last year. Social media has been identified as a key factor influencing public sentiment, with radical anti-Japanese rhetoric prevalent on platforms like Weibo. These findings illustrate the deteriorating bilateral relations between the two nations.