44% oppose unconditional Japan-North Korea Summit: Jiji Poll

June 14, 2019

Tokyo--As many as 44.6 pct of people in Japan oppose Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to hold a summit with North Korea with no preconditions, a Jiji Press opinion poll has shown.

Meanwhile, 38.9 pct back the plan, according to the survey, conducted for four days through Monday.

Those who clearly approve of Abe's plan came to 17.2 pct, and those who support it to some extent reached 21.7 pct.

Clear disapproval was given by 22.3 pct of all respondents, matching the share of respondents who disapprove of the plan somewhat.

Tokyo has softened its stance toward Pyongyang in hopes of resolving the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals decades ago.

But last month, North Korea again launched ballistic missiles. It is unclear whether the two countries will be able to hold a summit.

The interview survey was conducted with 2,000 people aged 18 or over nationwide. Valid answers came from 62.8 pct. Jiji Press