Majority of Japanese Feel Close to Taiwan: Poll

December 23, 2017

Tokyo- A Taiwanese survey showed Friday that more than half of Japanese respondents feel close to Taiwan and regard it as trustworthy.

According to the survey, 69.0 pct of the respondents said they feel close to Taiwan, citing the historically intimate bilateral relationship and massive support from Taiwan following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Those feeling Taiwan is trustworthy totaled 57.9 pct, said the opinion poll, conducted by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, Taiwan's de facto embassy.

The results were almost unchanged from last year, showing that Japanese people's feelings toward Taiwan stay good, the office said.

Meanwhile, 23.2 pct cited fishery issues as a concern between the two sides, while 13.7 pct noted a territorial dispute.

The survey was conducted online and through telephone interviews with a total of 1,000 people aged 20 and older on Nov. 7-16. Jiji Press