Japanese and Chinese citizens hold increasingly negative views of each other’s countries, according to recent polling data from both nations. A 2023 survey by the Genron NPO and China Daily found that 84.5% of Japanese respondents held unfavorable or very unfavorable opinions of China, the highest level since the poll began in 2005. Only 9.5% expressed favorable views. Among Chinese respondents, 73.4% held unfavorable or very unfavorable views of Japan, whereas 20.5% expressed favorable opinions — the lowest favorable rating recorded in the survey’s history. The deterioration in mutual perceptions coincides with heightened tensions over territorial disputes in the East China Sea, particularly regarding the Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China. Japanese Coast Guard data shows a record number of Chinese government vessels entering waters around the islands in 2023, prompting repeated diplomatic protests from Tokyo. Japanese public concern over China’s military activities has intensified. A separate 2023 poll by the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute found that 68.7% of Japanese respondents viewed China’s military expansion as a “serious threat,” up from 52.1% a decade earlier. Concerns were especially high regarding activities near Okinawa and Taiwan. On the Chinese side, state media coverage of Japan’s security policy shifts — including the 2022 release of Japan’s new National Security Strategy, which explicitly identified China as “the greatest strategic challenge” — has contributed to growing skepticism. Chinese foreign ministry officials have repeatedly criticized Japan’s move toward acquiring counterstrike capabilities and deeper defense cooperation with the United States. Historical issues continue to influence perceptions. Visits by Japanese officials to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead including convicted war criminals, remain a persistent source of friction. In 2023, multiple members of Japan’s cabinet made offerings to the shrine during the spring and autumn festivals, drawing formal condemnation from Beijing. Despite the negative trends in public opinion, economic interdependence remains substantial. China was Japan’s largest trading partner in 2023, with bilateral trade exceeding ¥37 trillion ($245 billion), according to Japan’s Ministry of Finance. Japanese direct investment in China totaled ¥8.2 trillion ($54 billion) by the finish of 2022, per Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) data. People-to-people exchanges, though reduced from pre-pandemic levels, continue at significant scale. In 2023, approximately 1.1 million Chinese tourists visited Japan, down from a peak of 9.6 million in 2019 but showing gradual recovery, according to Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) statistics. Japanese visitors to China numbered around 680,000 in 2023, based on data from the China National Tourism Administration. Diplomatic channels remain open but strained. The two countries held a high-level economic dialogue in Tokyo in March 2024, their first such meeting in four years, focusing on trade, supply chain resilience and regional cooperation. Still, no joint statement was issued on political or security matters, reflecting ongoing disagreements. No new summit between the leaders of Japan and China has been scheduled as of May 2024. The last meeting between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Xi Jinping occurred on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco in November 2023, where they agreed to maintain communication but did not resolve outstanding differences.
