Japan disliked by 60% of neighbours

[Maciamo]

Here is an interesting survey that can tell us more about how people feel about each other within East Asia.

Asahi News : Japan disliked by 60% of neighbors

Originally Posted by Asahi

Chinese and South Koreans have a harsh view of Japan, with six out of 10 ``disliking'' the nation and more than 80 percent opposed to Japan's bid to gain a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, according to a recent survey.

It also showed that more than 90 percent of Japan's two Asian neighbors take issue with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.

So 10% of the Koreans and Chinese actually don't care about Koizumi's visit ?

Originally Posted by Asahi

In South Korea, 63 percent said they disliked Japan, up from 57 percent in 2001. In China, ``dislike'' responses shot up to 64 percent, from 34 percent in a 1997 survey and 53 percent in 2002.
...
Japanese also have a chilly view of their neighbors, the poll showed. 22 percent said they disliked South Korea, compared with 15 percent who liked the nation. For China, 28 percent of Japanese surveyed chose ``dislike,'' almost three times the 10 percent who chose ``like.''

The feelings seem to be reciprocal, although over half of the Japanese surveyed seemed to be in two minds, neither liking nor disliking their neighbours. Just indifferent.

And now the Yasukuni issue.

Originally Posted by Asahi

The survey found 92 percent in South Korea and 91 percent in China were opposed to Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals are enshrined along with the nation's war dead.

In Japan, 28 percent were against the visits, while 54 percent were in favor.
...
In a more recent poll, which The Asahi Shimbun conducted on April 24 following a Japan-China summit, 48 percent of Japanese said Koizumi should refrain from visiting Yasukuni. 36 percent wanted him to continue.

So, the recent demonstrations have given rise to an increase of 20% to the number of Japanese people who think Koizumi should stop visiting the war shrine. At least it has had some effect on the mind. Let's see if he dares going there this 15 August, after his apologies to China.


What about freaky North Korea ?

Originally Posted by Asahi

79 percent of Japanese disliked North Korea. In South Korea, 27 percent favored North Korea, while 26 percent felt ill of the country. In China, 38 percent liked North Korea; 9 percent did not.

Interesting that a much bigger proportion of Japanese dislike North Korea. One would think they are more of a threat to South Korea, but only 1/4 of South Koreans have bad feelings about the North.

[Tim33]

The south korea issue is suprising i thought that would of been alot higher tbh. If only 1/4 SK dislike NK then whats all that military for lol. Would the money not better spent on food for the starving NK's ???

I can quite understand Japanese attitudes though. I think you will find it in a few places though. I have generally found i dont get on with French people but its just a surface thing. When i actually sit down and have a chat with one we tend to get on. I wonder how many of those interviewed have actually sat down and tried to get on with the Japanese or Vice Versa.

[Maciamo]

Originally Posted by Tim33

The south korea issue is suprising i thought that would of been alot higher tbh. If only 1/4 SK dislike NK then whats all that military for lol. Would the money not better spent on food for the starving NK's ???

But they are already doing it. See these articles :

Japan boosts N Korea food aid (500,000 tons of food)
Koreas agree 500,000 ton food loan (500,000 tons)
US donating food aid to N Korea (50,000 tons, stingy compared to Japan and SK, but better than nothing)

South Korea also helps the North when necessary :

Aid shipment arrives in N Korea

I wonder how many of those interviewed have actually sat down and tried to get on with the Japanese or Vice Versa.

99.9999% of the Japanese have never talked with a North Korean (born and raised in NK, not in Japan) and vice versa. North Koreans cannot leave their country, and tourism to NK is almost inexistent.

[Tim33]

So really its all about propaganda and government control rather then people actually thinking about what they say.

Many famous people in Japan are Zainichi(half Korean) without the japanese knowing it.
Beat takeshi for example. I know when telling quite a few japanese people about it they were shocked.

[Eisuke]

Originally Posted by Tim33

Many famous people in Japan are Zainichi(half Korean) without the japanese knowing it.
Beat takeshi for example. I know when telling quite a few japanese people about it they were shocked.

Zainichi means a korean resident in Japan. I don't know if there is a word for half-korean in Japanese.
Takeshi Kitano is Japanese. Born in January 18, 1947, in Tokyo, Takeshi Kitano was the youngest of four children of Kikujiro and Saki Kitano.
http://www.hkfilms.150m.com/Japanese...eshikitano.htm

[Tim33]

Really i learnt Zainichi means half korean in Japanese culture lesson. Sigh yet more problems with my course. I was also taught there that Takeshi was Zainichi. Whether through his parents or no im not sure.

Jeez why do i even bother with university.

[Glenn]

Zainichi doesn't mean half-anything, and as far as I know it doesn't just mean Koreans in Japan, unless it's been abbreviated for that purpose, like how "homo" has come to mean "homosexual," but really it's a prefix meaning "same." Anyway, it's used to say that any foreigner is living in Japan. It's made up of zai ("in") and nichi (abbr. for "Japan"). For example, zainichi chuugoku-jin is a Chinese person living in Japan. Replace nichi with some other country's abbreviation, and you get things like zaichuu furansu-jin: a French person living in China.

[Thomas56]

All the "somewhat" third world countries hate world powers, because they depend on them. No one really likes us except the UK...I think.

[Jent]

It doesn't seem like that poll gave exact reasons on way they hate each other. It said that some of them were opposed to Koizumi's visit.
And Thomas I agree with you. I think that they are hated because they are such a strong power over in their portion of the world. When you have money and success, people tend to get jealous, anywhere that you go.
A lot of countries despise the US, but they really can't do a whole lot about it because we're supplying their butts with imported goods and financial aid.

[Maciamo]

Originally Posted by Thomas56

All the "somewhat" third world countries hate world powers, because they depend on them. No one really likes us except the UK...I think.

Would you define Japan as a world power ? If so, aren't the UK, France or Germany world power as well ? Why do so many people dislike the US, or Japan within East Asia, but not the UK, France and Germany ? There is a reason for everything.

[pipokun]

The result, in Japan at least, must be quite a different if "don't care" option'd been placed.

[Shibuyaexpat]

Originally Posted by Jent

...I think that they are hated because they are such a strong power over in their portion of the world. When you have money and success, people tend to get jealous, anywhere that you go.
A lot of countries despise the US, but they really can't do a whole lot about it because we're supplying their butts with imported goods and financial aid.

Jent, when you have a chance, I highly recommend that you take a look at article referenced in the thread started by Sukotto. I think that you'll find it rather interesting to know the status of the U.S. economy, as well as Japan's current economic standing.

To categorically define the East Asian sentiment towards Japan as jealousy is a bit narrowly focused. You'll find through reading of the posts here, as well as historical texts, that there is a lot more than simply that.

[Maciamo]

Originally Posted by pipokun

The result, in Japan at least, must be quite a different if "don't care" option'd been placed.

No, the "dont care" are counted. There were about 15% who liked Koreans and 22% who disliked Koreans. That's only 37%. So the remaining 63% is surely "don't care".

[MeAndroo]

I'd be interested in seeing if there was an ambivalent response, as opposed to an indifferent one. One of the inherent flaws in surveys using the like - dislike scale is that people must weigh both pros and cons, so if they have both positive and negative opinions about a country, they may end up putting the middle option because they don't feel strongly either way. This can lead the results in the direction of many people seemingly not caring one way or the other when in fact they have established opinions.

[Tonysoong]

Originally Posted by Tim33

I can quite understand Japanese attitudes though. I think you will find it in a few places though. I have generally found i dont get on with French people but its just a surface thing. When i actually sit down and have a chat with one we tend to get on. I wonder how many of those interviewed have actually sat down and tried to get on with the Japanese or Vice Versa.

You mean every normal human being can get on with any other or other group of people just by sitting down with him/them? Okay, let's just suggest all the 60 percent of South Koreans and Chinese spend the rest f lives sitting down with each of the Japanese, just to see if they can really get on!

Even i doubt you are talking about getting on with prostitutes when you suggest sitting down as a test stone for likelihood of getting on.

[Tonysoong]

Originally Posted by Thomas56

All the "somewhat" third world countries hate world powers, because they depend on them. No one really likes us except the UK...I think.

This generalisation is somewhat ungrounded as far as i am concerned-- i love America, my students mostly adore America as a perfect model of democracy. And i don't think we depend on you, instead we feel that America is a responsible partner despite the CCP's efforts to belitttle America for evil ideological reasons.

[andorin]

Originally Posted by Tonysoong

This generalisation is somewhat ungrounded as far as i am concerned-- i love America, my students mostly adore America as a perfect model of democracy. And i don't think we depend on you, instead we feel that America is a responsible partner despite the CCP's efforts to belitttle America for evil ideological reasons.

i think that its the common belief by most 'level headed' americans that we are despised by the rest of the world. by 'level headed' i do mean people who didnt vote for bush, of course. because we seem to be the protagonist in almost every conflict that comes up in world politics.

and in response to the percentages taken from this survey, can we see the reference groups please? because surveys can be greatly biased as a marketing scheme[at least its used that way in the good ol' US], where they take a certain amount of people that they know will vote the way the surveyers want them to.

[Tonysoong]

Relax, Andorin, just come to China and experience it yourself, and i will be hosting you. The CCP does not equate China, and even the CCP is making efforts to revive traditional Chinese culture and in the meanwhile to copy America (not in terns of political pattern of coursr, for reasons everybody knows, ).

[pipokun]

Originally Posted by andorin

i think that its the common belief by most 'level headed' americans that we are despised by the rest of the world. by 'level headed' i do mean people who didnt vote for bush, of course. because we seem to be the protagonist in almost every conflict that comes up in world politics.

and in response to the percentages taken from this survey, can we see the reference groups please? because surveys can be greatly biased as a marketing scheme[at least its used that way in the good ol' US], where they take a certain amount of people that they know will vote the way the surveyers want them to.

Fair enough.

[Tonysoong]

If so many Japanese prefer to believe certain facts and ignore others, sheerly according to their own liking, nobody can help

[Tonysoong]

But i think Japan still stand opportunities to make heartfelt apologies to its Asian neighbors before it is too late

[Brooker]

But none of the countries in Asia like each other.

[lexico]

Are we talking about 1) people-to-people or 2) people-to-gov's ?
Isn't 1) usually "like" and 2) have mixed feelings ?
It's still too simplistic to ask for sweeping opinions; sending the wrong kind of message that forming one-worded opinions is okay, naturally expected, and even normal, and good. How about "difficult to say ?" for an answer.

Tonysoong has a point; maybe all countries have their fair share of liars, swindlers, and politicians. But why is it that in Japan, these three personalities converge into remorseless figureheads who get voted into public offices ??? Perhaps Korea and Taiwan, as former long-term colonies of Japan, should go around making surrogate apologies on behalf of Japan and normalize this dark corner of the earth. Of course, I don't know how effective it will be, or whether it will do any good for Japan, but there is partial truth in it too. In a way, it could be the starting point of coming to terms with our pasts.

[iranyahoo]

I remember the time in my High school which was International HS located in New York.
the time Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine all chinese students beat up a japanse girl

[名無し]

Originally Posted by iranyahoo

I remember the time in my High school which was International HS located in New York.
the time Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine all chinese students beat up a japanse girl

It is not the first occasion that racial hatred against ethnic Japanese was observed in schools in the US. They were harrassed in&out classrooms about the comfort woman issue back in 1992, then history textbook stuff in 1996.
It is just that there are always some people who keep looking for excuses for enjoyment of lynch. And they will find next topic besides the shrine sooner or later.

Fortunately "neighbors" who feel good by hating Japan are not the majority in the world:

BBC Poll: Attitudes towards Countries

Japan received very high ratings. Of the 33 countries polled, a remarkable 31 gave a positive rating and 21 of these were a majority. On average 55 percent gave a positive rating and 18 percent a negative one. Japan was not rated in the 2004 BBC World Service poll.

The two exceptions were China and South Korea, where 71 and 54 percent, respectively, said that Japan is having a negative influence.

Interesting contrast to China's reputation.