On June 9, 2026, South Korean media outlet Korea Daily reported that, according to the results of a public opinion survey conducted jointly with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, the percentage of people who evaluate Japan-Korea relations as "good" reached a record high level in both South Korea and Japan.

According to the article, the survey was conducted last month (Korea Daily 14-15, Yomiuri Shimbun 15-17) targeting 1,000 South Koreans and 1,040 Japanese. According to the survey, 66.7% of South Koreans responded "good" regarding current Japan-Korea relations, an increase of 11.5 percentage points from 55.2% the previous year. This is reportedly the first time it has exceeded 60% since the survey began in 1995.

On the Japanese side, approximately 59% responded "good," an increase from approximately 52% the previous year. This marks the highest level since 2007.

Furthermore, when asked, "Do you think future Japan-Korea relations will improve?", 37.4% of South Koreans and approximately 19% of Japanese responded "I think they will improve." On the other hand, those who responded "they will worsen" were limited to 6.5% in South Korea and approximately 3% in Japan, a significant decrease from the previous year.

The article introduces the view that the continuation of "shuttle diplomacy," with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi repeatedly exchanging visits, and the maintenance of stable relations, has led to an improvement in the perceptions of both peoples.

Additionally, regarding whether the two leaders should deepen their already close relationship, 80.1% of South Koreans and approximately 77% of Japanese responded "yes." On the other hand, there was no significant change compared to the previous year in terms of trust toward the other country (South Koreans from 41.2% last year to 40.9% this year; Japanese from approximately 43% to approximately 49%) or sense of familiarity (South Koreans from 41.3% last year to 42.9% this year; Japanese from approximately 47% to approximately 49%).

In response to this, South Korean internet users commented: "I think the increase in exchanges among younger generations is more significant than among politicians," "You'll understand if you travel. Both Japanese and Koreans are interested in each other's countries," "Historical issues and private exchanges should be considered separately," "It's good that relations are stable even when politics change," and "It's a natural result if you look at the number of Koreans traveling to Japan."

Additionally, comments such as "We should continue a mutually beneficial relationship," "Since we are neighboring countries, cooperation is better than conflict," "Economic cooperation should be prioritized over emotional confrontation," "It's interesting that the level of trust hasn't increased that much," and "While improvement in relations is welcome, we must not forget historical issues" were also observed. (Translation/Editing: Higuchi)