日對釣魚台做民意調查

Recently the Excite News reported the following

毎日新聞は２、３の両日、全国世論調査を実施した。菅内閣の支持率は４９％と再び５割を割り込み、９月の前回調査（６４％）から１５ポイント減と急落した。沖縄県・尖閣諸島沖で中国漁船が海上保安庁の巡視船に衝突した事件を巡り、中国人船長の釈放を「検察の判断」とする政府の説明に対し、「納得できない」との回答が８７％を占めた。「政府が政治判断を示すべきだった」との回答も８０％に上り、政府対応への批判が支持率低下を招いた。

　菅直人首相は９月の民主党代表選で、小沢一郎元幹事長を破り再選。その後の内閣改造・党役員人事でも「脱小沢路線」をとり、前回の世論調査では、内閣支持率が６４％まで急上昇した。しかし、乱高下する支持率は消極的支持の表れともいえ、政権運営は厳しさを増している。

　漁船衝突事件を巡り、９月８日に中国人船長を逮捕した判断の是非を聞いたところ、「適切だった」が８３％に上る一方、同２５日に釈放した判断については「適切でなかった」が７４％を占めた。「釈放は検察の判断」とする政府の説明に「納得できない」との回答は、内閣、民主党支持層でも８割を超えた。逮捕に踏み切った当初方針から、対応を転換したにもかかわらず、十分な説明がなかったことに批判が集まった。

　今回の事件を受け、中国のイメージが「悪くなった」との回答は４４％に上った。今後の日中関係については「日本の主張を優先すべきだ」が３５％と最多で、「関係改善を急ぐべきだ」と「しばらく距離を置くべきだ」がともに３１％と、回答が分かれた。

　沖縄県石垣市に属する尖閣諸島を巡り、中国や台湾も領有権を主張していることについて「以前から知っていた」が６４％を占めた。一方で「今回、初めて知った」との回答も３４％に上っている。

Mainichi Shimbun carried out a nationwide public opinion poll on both 2nd and 3rd days. The approval rate for the Kan Cabinet dropped again into half, from the investigation did last time in September (64%) dropped sharply by 15 points.

Centering around the event that a Chinese fishing boat collided with the patrol boat of the Japan Coast Guard off Okinawa Prefecture at the coast of Senkaku Island, regarding the release of the Chinese captain, the response to the explanation given by the government that it was "Judgment of the prosecution", 87% of the reply said that"it is not possible to consent". The response that saying that "The government had to have shown political judgment" also went up to 80%, these criticism towards the government's response to the incident had caused the approval rating to decrease.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan in September broke the re-election of former chief secretary Ichiro Ozawa in the Democratic Party representative election. Afterwards the "De-Ozawa route" was taken through cabinet reshuffling and changing the party executive-level management, thus pushed up the last public opinion poll on the cabinet support rate to 64%. However, the violent fluctuation of the approval rate could be said that it showed passive support, and that difficulties in political management grew.

Concerning the fishing boat collision event, on September 8 when heard about the arrest of the Chinese captain, those saying that the judgement "Was appropriate" went up to 83%, regarding the right or wrong about his release on the 25th, those saying "It was not appropriate" accounted for 74%. Even among Cabinet and the Democratic Party supporters over 80 percent of the answer said that the explanation of the government that "Release is a judgment of the prosecution" was "Not possible to consent". The criticism gathered around that there was not enough explanation, that at the start the policy carried out was to arrest, and could not understand why later there was a change in responding.

Because of this event, the reply that the image of China "Worsened" had gone up to 44%. Regarding Japan-China relations in future "It was necessary to give priority to the insistence of Japan" was in the majority of 35%, and "It was necessary to speed up improvement in relations" and "Should keep a distance for a while" was 31%.

About the insistence by China and Taiwan that they had territorial right over the Senkaku Islands which belonged to the Okinawa Prefecture stone wall city, 64% said that "Have known it before". On the other hand, the answer that "This time, knew it for the first time" also has gone up to 34%.

This opinion survey has shown many interesting observation. It is a valuable tool to read into the minds of the Japanese regarding the conflict.