6 Out of 10 Japanese Say "No Change in Korea-Japan Relations After President Lee's Inauguration"

6 Out of 10 Japanese Expect No Change in Korea-Japan Relations After President Lee's Inauguration
Cabinet Approval Rises Amid Rice Price Policies
Leaders Agree to Strengthen Bilateral Ties in First Phone Call

According to a local Japanese media poll, 6 out of 10 Japanese people believe that there will be no change in Korea-Japan relations following the inauguration of President Lee Jaemyung.

President Lee Jae-myung is having a phone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul on the 9th. Photo by Yonhap News

NHK reported on the 9th that, in a telephone survey conducted from the 6th to the 8th with 1,201 respondents aged 18 and older, 59% answered that Korea-Japan relations would "remain unchanged" after President Lee's inauguration. Meanwhile, 24% said relations would "worsen," and only 5% expected them to "improve."

Regarding the US-Japan tariff negotiations, 50% of respondents said they "have no expectations," while 44% said they "have expectations."

In this survey, the approval rating for the cabinet led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba rose by 6 percentage points from the previous month to 39%. The proportion of respondents who said they do not support the cabinet fell by 6 percentage points to 42%. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s approval rating also increased by 5.2 percentage points from the previous month, reaching 31.6%.

NHK did not specifically mention the reasons for the rise in approval ratings for the cabinet and the Liberal Democratic Party. However, it appears that policies introduced to curb the sharp rise in rice prices, such as the positive evaluation (74%) of Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Koizuma's decision on May 21 to change the method of releasing reserve rice from bidding to private contracts, had an impact.

Meanwhile, President Lee Jaemyung held his first phone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on this day, speaking for about 25 minutes starting at noon. Kang Yujeong, spokesperson for the presidential office, stated, "President Lee expressed his gratitude for Prime Minister Ishiba's congratulations on his inauguration and emphasized that the importance of Korea-Japan relations is increasing even further in today's strategic environment."

It is reported that the two leaders agreed during the call to work toward building a stronger and more mature Korea-Japan relationship. Spokesperson Kang said, "The two leaders agreed to create a stronger and more mature Korea-Japan relationship based on mutual respect, trust, and a responsible attitude. They also noted the active exchanges between the peoples of both countries on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations this year and agreed to further strengthen communication between the authorities."

In addition, she said, "The two leaders agreed to step up efforts to respond to various geopolitical challenges within the framework of Korea-US-Japan cooperation, and they also decided to meet in person in the future for in-depth discussions on the development of Korea-Japan relations and other matters of mutual interest."

This was President Lee's second phone conversation with a foreign leader since his inauguration, following his call with President Donald Trump on the 6th.