http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200504280161.html
Japan disliked by 60% of neighbors
04/28/2005
The Asahi Shimbun
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.
The survey was jointly conducted in March by The Asahi Shimbun, the
Dong-A Ilbo newspaper of South Korea and the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences.
In South Korea, the poll was taken from March 11 to 30, as tempers flared
over Shimane Prefecture's adoption of an ordinance establishing a ``Takeshima
Day.'' Both nations claim Takeshima island (Tokto in South Korea) as their
territory.
In China, the survey took place between March 21 and 28, just before
anti-Japan protests erupted in major Chinese cities over Tokyo's views of its
history and its efforts to seek permanent membership on the Security Council.
The Asahi Shimbun received valid responses from 1,781 Japanese aged 20 or
older on March 27 and 28.
Valid responses came from 1,500 South Koreans and 2,160 Chinese.
In both countries, a mere 8 percent said they liked Japan.
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.
Twenty-two 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 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.
Different views on what the shrine stands for seemed to contribute to the
huge gap.
When asked what they think Yasukuni Shrine is, six out of 10 South
Koreans and Chinese chose a ``symbol of militarism.'' Seven in 10 Japanese saw
the shrine as a ``facility to pay tribute to the war dead.''
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. Thirty-six percent wanted him to continue.
The poll procedures were different. But the change indicates a growing
number of Japanese are concerned about the deteriorating relations and want
Koizumi to deal more cautiously with the issue.
On Japan's U.N. Security Council bid, 87 percent of South Koreans and 84
percent of Chinese polled objected.
There was also a gap between Japan and its neighbors over North Korea.
Seventy-nine 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.
When asked what North Korea first brings to mind, 49 percent of Japanese
chose abductions, compared with only 1 percent in South Korea and 2 percent in
China.
In China, 66 percent of respondents did not know about Japan's official
development assistance totaling 3.3 trillion yen. But 67 percent said they are
against the current plan to reduce it.(IHT/Asahi: April 28,2005)
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