In the survey, 53.8 percent of Japanese respondents said the deal did not resolve the dispute over Korean comfort women, who were forced to serve as prostitutes for Japanese troops before and during World War II. In South Korea, 75 percent gave the same response.

The results underscore the distrust in the accord, which has never been fully implemented, among people in both countries.

The poll was conducted for about a month from mid-June by the Genron NPO of Japan and the East Asia Institute of South Korea. It covered some 1,000 people each in Japan and South Korea.

The survey also found that 41.8 percent of Japanese respondents supported the comfort women deal, down 6.1 percentage points from the previous year, while 25.4 pct disapproved, up 4.5 points.

In South Korea, the agreement was approved by 21.3 percent of respondents, down 6.8 points, and rejected by 55.5 percent, up 17.9 points.

Asked about the reasons why they are negative about the agreement, with multiple answers allowed, an overwhelming 77.7 pct of respondents in South Korea said the opinions of comfort women themselves were not reflected in the deal.

In Japan, 49.3 percent of respondents said they did not understand why many South Korean people are unhappy with the deal and that an agreement needs to be respected and implemented.

The survey showed that a majority of Japanese respondents think it would be difficult for the two countries to resolve the issue of history recognition even if bilateral ties improve. In the previous year, many Japanese respondents were optimistic of a future settlement in line with the development of bilateral relations.

The share of Japanese respondents who cited the comfort women dispute as a history issue that needs to be resolved more than tripled to 40.2 percent. In South Korea, 69.6 percent took a similar view, up some 10 points. (Jiji Press)