Poll shows more than half of Japanese citizens view relations with China badly – Reports

According to the bilateral survey of 2,600 people, which was conducted by the Genron NPO and China International Publishing Group, 54.1 percent of Japanese citizens hold a negative view of relations with China, the broadcaster stated.

This figure is an increase of 9.3 percentage points over the past year.The rise in negative sentiment has been linked to the ongoing dispute in the East China Sea over a set of islands, called the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyudao islands in China.

In total, 89.7 percent of Japanese respondents to the survey expressed a negative or unfavorable view towards China, the broadcaster said.On the other hand, 22.6 percent of Chinese respondents view their country's relations with Japan as negative, a fall of 13 percent over the past year, the broadcaster said.

Additionally, more than half of Japanese respondents expressed their belief that the Korean Peninsula will not be denuclearized, compared to just 11.6 percent of Chinese respondents who shared this view.

Toshimitsu Motegi, the Japanese foreign minister, is expected to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi throughout the day.

Prior to their meeting, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said that Motegi is expected to raise the issue of China's maritime presence near the disputed islands.