Survey Overview

Between May and July 2014, Japanese nonprofit organization The Genron NPO and East Asia Institute (EAI) have conducted joint public opinion polls targeting theJapanese and South Korean public. The objective of this survey is to continue monitoring the stateof mutual understanding and awareness of the Japanese and South Korean public, in order to contribute closing the gap in the awareness between the two societies, promoting mutual understanding.

The result of this survey will also be reported and utilized in the private-sector dialogue between Japan and South Korea (Japan-Korea Future Dialogue), which was established last year aiming to improve the relationship between the two countries.

The opinion poll in South Korea was conducted from June 10 to 26, through a method of face-to-face interviewing, surveying men and women over the age of 19. The number of total valid responses obtained was 1,004. The final academic qualifications of respondents were as follows: lower than elementary school certificate 8.9%, middle school certificate 7.3%, high school certificate 34.4%, university/college student (currently studying or quit school) 15.2%, university bachelor’s degree 31.8%, and university master’s degree or above 2.5%.

The opinion poll in Japan was conducted from May 31 to June 22, through a door-to-door home-visit method targeting the men and women over the age of 18 (excluding high school students). The number of total valid responses obtained was 1,000. The final academic qualifications of respondents were as follows: elementary/middle school certificate 12.4%, high school certificate 48.4%, junior college/technical college certificate 19.3%, university bachelor’s degree 17.3%, and university master’s degree or above 1.2%.

In addition to the public poll, EAI and Genron NPO conducted an additional survey targeting intellectuals in Japan and South Korea during the month of June. From the South Korean side, a questionnaire composed of 25 questions excerpted from the survey was sent to approximately 5,000 intellectuals by email and received responses from 424. The questionnaire was also sent to EAI’s members and affiliates, among which 393 people responded. On the Japanese side, the same questionnaire was sent to approximately 6,000 intellectuals who have previously participated in discussion and surveys organized by The Genron NPO. Among those, answers were obtained from 633 intellectuals. These responsdents are considered to represent a stratum of well-rounded intellectuals in Japan and South Korea and their responses will complement the results from the general public opinion poll.

1. Korean-Japanese Citizen’s Perception of One Another

1-1. Impressions on each other’s country

Although the impression of Japan among the South Korean public had slightly improved, 70% still had negative impression on Japan. The impression of South Korea among the Japanese public was further aggravated.

The percentage of South Korean respondents who had “good” or “relatively good” impression of Japan was 17.5%; despite a 5.3% increase from last year, the percentage remained at less than 20%. The percentage of those who answered that they had an “unfavorable” or “relatively unfavorable” impression was 70.9, 5.7 points less than last year, showing that still more than 70% of respondents had a negative impression on Japan. On the other hand, the percentage of Japanese respondents who answered that they had a “favorable” impression or “relatively favorable” impression of South Korea remained at 20.5%, while the percentage of those who had an “unfavorable” or “relatively unfavorable” impression reached 54.4%, which was 17.1points higher than the last year’s result (37.3%)...(Continued)