Shoppers jam the streets in Tokyo's Ginza district. China topped a list of countries with which the Japanese public most want to improve relations, according to a poll.[AFP] China topped a list of countries with which the Japanese public most want to improve relations, according to a poll. The United States was second, followed by South Korea, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said. China has replaced the US as Japan's top trade partner, as Beijing has emerged as a global economic powerhouse. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who came to power in September, has worked to improve bilateral ties by visiting China and South Korea shortly after he took office. The Sino-Japan ties were significantly damaged under former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, who repeatedly visited a war shrine in Tokyo, angering Beijing and Seoul, which refused to hold bilateral summits with him. After South Korea, Europe was followed by India, according to the poll. Russia and the United Kingdom were named as the sixth and seventh nations with which the Japanese believe Tokyo should put most effort into improving relations. The telephone survey was conducted from Friday through Sunday and received 872 valid responses .  (AFP)

一项民意调查显示，日本民众最希望政府能改善与中国的关系。 据《日本经济新闻》报道，美国和韩国分别位居第二位和第三位。 随着中国世界经济大国地位的确立，中国已取代美国成为日本的最大贸易伙伴。 为了改善双边关系，日本首相安倍晋三今年9月上任后不久就对中国和韩国进行了国事访问。 中日关系在前首相小泉纯一郎在任时期遭到了严重破坏，中韩两国对小泉频频参拜靖国神社强烈不满，并拒绝与日本举行双边峰会。 调查显示，位居韩国之后的是欧洲和印度。 俄罗斯和英国分别排在第六位和第七位。 这项电话民意调查从上周五持续至上周日，共收到了872个有效回复。 （英语点津姗姗编辑）