Good will toward U.S. at record high: poll

A record-high 78.9 percent of Japanese people harbor friendly feelings toward the United States, a government poll showed Saturday, signaling a positive response to U.S. President Barack Obama, who took office earlier this year.

Spitting image: Ogawa Studio Inc. employees display masks of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his wife, Miyuki, and of U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle. The company, established in 1905 and based in the city of Saitama, has sold more than 10,000 Obama masks this year, a record for the firm. KYODO PHOTO

The figure, up 5.6 percentage points from a year earlier, comes from a Cabinet Office survey conducted in mid- and late October, before relations between the two nations soured over the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture.

A government official declined to comment on whether the figure would change if the survey were conducted now, saying only that it reflected "people's high interest in President Obama."

The number of Japanese who believe the country's ties with the United States remain good also rose 12.9 points to 81.8 percent.

Meanwhile, the percentage of respondents who expressed a friendly response toward South Korea rose 6 points to 63.1 percent, while the percentage of those who felt that Japan and South Korea are on good terms increased 17 points to 66.5 percent. Both figures marked record highs.

The official said that this response may have been affected by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's trip to Seoul in early October, making South Korea the first Asian country he visited since taking office in September.

"The prime minister spelled out the need to strengthen future-oriented Japan-South Korea ties during his visit to South Korea . . . and continuing exchanges between the two countries at the grassroots level may also have had an influence," the official said.

The perception of Japan's relations with China also improved, possibly because of high-level talks that took place shortly after Hatoyama launched his Democratic Party of Japan-led government.

As for Japan's role in the United Nations, 29.4 percent of respondents, up 4.3 points, said the country should participate more in U.N. peacekeeping missions to contribute to international society.

But the percentage of people who thought that Japan should actively offer economic cooperation toward developing countries dropped to 26.8 percent, the first decline in five years. This may be a reflection of the economic downturn, according to the official.

The Cabinet Office poll on foreign relations was conducted nationwide between Oct. 15 and 25 on 3,000 people aged 20 or above. A total of 1,850 people, or 61.7 percent, provided valid responses.

The survey has been conducted every year since 1975, except for 1976.

In a multiple-choice question on North Korea, the abduction of Japanese nationals remained the top concern with 86.7 percent citing the issue, although the figure dropped slightly from a year before.

The percentage of people who expressed concern over North Korea's nuclear programs increased to 76.8 percent, while those worried about its missile development stood at 67.3 percent.

Earlier in the year, North Korea raised tension in the region by launching a rocket widely seen as a disguised test of a long-range missile and also conducted a second nuclear test.