* This report has been translated from the Korean version. The Korean version can be found here.

Survey Overview
Between September and October 2020, the East Asia Institute (EAI), a private Korean think tank, and Japanese NGO The Genron NPO conducted joint public opinion polls in South Korea and Japan. The objective of this survey is to monitor the state of mutual public perceptions between Japanese and South Korean people and examine how it is changing over time, ultimately narrowing the current perception gap by promoting mutual understanding between the two countries.

The results of the poll were presented at the “Korea-Japan Future Dialogue” on October 16-17 and served as the basis for discussion.

The opinion poll in South Korea was conducted from September 11 to 25 through face-to-face interviews targeting men and women aged 19 and older. The number of valid samples obtained was 1,006. 50.0% were men and 50.0% were women. The final academic qualifications of respondents were as follows: 12.0% had received either elementary or middle school education; 41.7% had received a high school education, and 46.2% had received either university/junior college level education or higher education such as graduate/postgraduate course. The age distribution of respondents was as follows: 17.9% were between the ages of 19 and 29; 16.0% were between the ages of 30 and 39; 18.9% were between the ages of 40 and 49; 19.7% were between the ages of 50 and 59, and 27.5% were over age 60.

The opinion poll in Japan was conducted between September 12 and October 4 through door-to-door visits and self-administered, targeting men and women aged 18 and older. The number of valid samples obtained was 1,000, of whom 48.6% were men and 51.4% were women. The final academic qualifications of respondents were as follows: 6.6% had completed either elementary or middle school; 47.5% had completed high school; 21.3% had completed junior college or technical school; 22.3% had obtained a bachelor’s degree; 0.9% had obtained a graduate or postgraduate degree; 0.8% selected ‘other’, and 0.6% had no response. The age distribution of respondents was as follows: 2.5% were below the age of 20; 11.8% were between the ages of 20 and 29; 14.9% were between the ages of 30 and 39; 17.4% were between the ages of 40 and 49; 14.6% were between the ages of 50 and 59, and 38.8% were above age 60.

Some of the key findings from the polls are as follows:

•South Korean Favorable Perception towards Japan has plummeted, with young generations leading the trend

•Japanese Favorable Perception towards South Korea saw an unexpected improvement from the downward trend

•Not many South Koreans/Japanese support their own country’s policy towards the other country

•The increasing number of South Koreans want a new solution on the forced labor issue

•Historical disputes between South Korea and Japan might lead to another conflict between the two countries, if the pending issues remain unresolved