Opinion poll shows 75.9 pc of Japanese feel 'close' to Taiwan

Taipei [Taiwan], January 21 (ANI): The Taipei Representative Office in Japan on Thursday announced the latest opinion poll results that showed 75.9 per cent of Japanese feel 'close' to Taiwan.
The 2021 survey "Awareness Survey Report on Taiwan," said that 75.9 per cent of Japanese surveyed said they felt "close" to Taiwan, while 64.8 per cent believed Taiwan to be "trustworthy," the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Japan announced, reported Taiwan News.
Most of those who reported feeling close to Taiwan said they felt the Taiwanese are "kind and friendly;" other major reasons include the two countries' "long history of exchange," and "strong economic ties," according to the report.
However, only 26.4 per cent of respondents actually visited Taiwan; 47.8 per cent said they would like to after the pandemic ends.
46.6 per cent of respondents felt closest to Taiwan out of all Asian countries; only three per cent felt close to China, reported Taiwan News.
Regarding the two countries relations, 71.4 per cent of respondents believed "current Taiwan-Japan relations are good" and 59.6 per cent believed "Taiwan-Japan relations will develop in the future."
As per the survey, the biggest reason contributing to Taiwan's trustworthiness stems from Taiwan's "friendliness towards Japan," which is followed by Taiwan's "free and democratic values" and the perception of Taiwan as "a peaceful country."
Most respondents (40.7 per cent) were most concerned about "how cross-Strait relations (between Taiwan and China) would affect Japan."
Others were concerned about issues relating to the fishing industry (8.2 per cent) and Taiwan and Japan's economic competition (6.8 per cent); 24.4 per cent of respondents believed there are no issues between the two countries, reported Taiwan News.
Respondents believed that Taiwan and Japan should reinforce exchanges in terms of economy (57.6 per cent), tourism (57 per cent), politics and security (41.6 per cent), culture (34 per cent), and disaster response training (19.5 per cent).
In terms of a general impression of Taiwan, 78.9 per cent of respondents answered "friendly towards Japan," 47.3 per cent answered "tasty food," 43.4 per cent answered "historical ties with Japan," 31.6 per cent answered "abundant tourist attractions," and 24.1 per cent answered "internationally renowned semiconductor industry," reported Taiwan News
TECRO commissions Japan's Central Research Services (CRS) to conduct the opinion poll annually. In November 2021, the CRS surveyed 1,000 Japanese individuals aged 20-89; those between the ages of 20 and 79 were surveyed online, while those between 80 and 89 were surveyed via telephone. (ANI)