Three-quarters of Japanese believe Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has not made sufficient efforts to improve ties with China, according to a newspaper poll published Monday.

Only 16 percent said they appreciate the premier's efforts at a time when the Sino-Japanese relationship becomes difficult, said a survey carried out by the Mainichi Shimbun daily.

Asked what has caused the difficulties, 26 percent mentioned the Japanese government's refusal to show remorse for Japan's wartime crimes and 13 percent blamed Koizumi's repeated visits to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Class A war criminals of World War II are honored.

On Koizumi's controversial shrine visits, 45 percent said he should stop visiting it, up four percentage points from last December.

The approval rating for Koizumi's Cabinet came to 42 percent, down one percentage point from a month earlier. The disapproval rating, meanwhile, edged up two points from the previous survey to 35 percent.

A total of 1,019 voters responded to the poll conducted on Saturday and Sunday.