In its third such annual study, Tokyo's Genron NPO, a think tank, and Seoul's East Asia Institute, each interviewed about 1,000 people in their respective countries, ahead of a landmark meeting between the South Korean and Japanese defense ministers.
Koreans have been particularly alarmed by Japan, which has recently upped its defense budget, and whose current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has espoused a rhetoric widely dubbed "new nationalism." Fifty-eight percent of South Koreans said Japan posed a military threat, fewer than the 83 percent who were fearful of North Korea, but far ahead of the 38 percent who said the biggest danger emanated from Beijing. Last year, only 46 percent of Koreans said that Tokyo was belligerent, but this year 57 percent believed it was not just a threat, but a "militaristic state."
While few Japanese fear South Korea's military, only 14 percent regard it as a democracy, and 39 say it is "nationalist" state.