news details |
|
|
| Is China trustworthy? | | Most Japanese say 'no' | |
EARLY TIMES DELHI BUREAU
NEW DELHI, AUG. 11: An event of much significance--indeed, political and strategic signifcance--was allowed in Tokyo. It was in the shape of a survey in Japan's largest daily newspaper, Yomiuri. It showed that almost two-thirds of Japanese say that China cannot be trusted. It was the highest level in almost two decades amid severe strains over a Tokyo war shrine that critics say glorifies militarism.
The survey published on Friday showed that 65.3 percent of the 1,867 respondents felt that China cannot be trusted. Another 29.5 percent thought China could be trusted, while the remaining 5.2 percent were undecided, the poll showed.
The percentage of those who believed China was untrustworthy was the highest recorded in the six times the paper has polled on the question since 1988, the Yomiuri said. The paper attributed the rise to China's harsh reactions to Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni shrine, which honors World War II war criminals among Japan's war dead.
Critics in the two countries and elsewhere have denounced the shrine and Koizumi's visits to it as a glorification of Japanese imperialism and a sign of Japan's lack of contrition for its colonial aggression that led up to the war. China and South Korea have refused to hold summit meetings with Koizumi over the visits. Japanese Premier last visited the shrine in October last year. He is widely expected to make his next pilgrimage on August 15, the anniversary of the end of World War II, before stepping down as prime minister in September.
The poll, which released no margin of error, also showed that 66.4 percent of respondents thought relations with China at present were bad. A marginally greater percentage also said they had a bad impression of China, it said.
At the same time, 27.1 percent of respondents felt relations were good, while a nearly equal percentage said they had a good impression of China, the poll showed. The poll said that 6.5 percent of respondents were undecided in response to each question.
======================
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
