Editor's Note

The East Asia Institute (EAI) conducted an online survey in August 2024 to understand the foreign perceptions of the Korean public. The results have been published as “EAI Public Opinion Briefing” with visualized graphs. The results indicate that South Koreans hold the highest level of favorable impression of Japan since the survey was conducted, driven by interactions at the private level including culture and tourism. Conversely, negative evaluations of the South Korean government’s policies toward Japan prevailed, and the general consensus was that historical issues must be resolved before bilateral relations could progress.

2024 EAI Public Opinion Poll on International Affairs: Japan and the ROK-Japan Relations

 

2023 Korean Survey

2024 Korean Survey

Population

Adults aged 18 and over

Adults aged 18 and over

Sampling Methods

Proportional selection by region, gender, and age (as of July 2023)

Proportional selection by region, gender, and age (as of July 2024)

Sample Size

1,008

1,006

Survey Methods

Face-to-face Interviews (Personal Interview: PI)

Web Survey

Response rate

-

31.2% (among 3,220 people who requested, 1,006 people completed the survey)

Survey Date

2023. 8. 25. - 2023. 9. 13.

2024. 8. 26. - 2024. 8. 28.

Survey Agency

Hankook Research Co. Ltd.

Hankook Research Co. Ltd.

Composition of Respondents

[Gender]
Male 49.8%; Female 50.2%

[Age]
Under 20: 1.4%
20 to 29: 14.9%
30 to 39: 14.7%
40 to 49: 18.0%
50 to 59: 19.9%
Over 60: 31.2%

[Gender]
Male 49.5%; Female 50.5%

[Age]
Under 20: 1.4%
20 to 29: 12.5%
30 to 39: 14.8%
40 to 49: 18.8%
50 to 59: 20.3%
Over 60: 32.2%

 

[Experience of Visiting Japan] Have you ever visited Japan?

[Purpose of Visiting Japan] What was the purpose of visiting Japan?

[Perception Change after Visiting Japan] Has your perception of Japan changed following your visit?

[Expectations to Visit Japan] Would you like to visit Japan if you had the chance?

[Impression of Japan] What is your impression of Japan?

[Reasons for Unfavorable Impressions] Why do you have an unfavorable impression of Japan?

[Reasons for Favorable Impressions] Why do you have a favorable impression of Japan?

[Impression of Japanese Prime Minister] What is your impression of Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan?

[Current ROK-Japan Relations] What do you think current relations between South Korea and Japan are like?

[Importance of the ROK-Japan Relations] Do you think the ROK-Japan relations are currently important to South Korea?

[Reasons that ROK-Japan Relations Are Unimportant] Why do you think the ROK-Japan relations are not important?

[Reasons that ROK-Japan Relations Are Important] Why do you think the ROK-Japan relations are important?

[Future of the ROK-Japan Relations] How do you envision the future ROK-Japan relations?

[Reliability of Japan] Do you think Japan is a trustworthy partner of South Korea?

[Economic Relations Between South Korea and Japan]Regarding the economic relations between South Korea and Japan, which of the following statements do you agree with more: A or B?

[Goals of ROK-Japan Relations] What goals do you think the ROK-Japan relations should aim for?

[Japanese Government’s Attitude Toward Mutual Relations] How do you evaluate the current Japanese government's attitude toward improving the ROK-Japan relations?

[South Korean Government’s Attitude Toward Mutual Relations] How do you evaluate the current South Korean government's attitude toward improving the ROK-Japan relations?

[ROK-Japan Relations and the Historical Issues] What do you think about the ROK-Japan relations and the historical issues between them?

[Territorial Conflict and the Korea-Japan Relations] How significant do you believe territorial disputes about Dokdo (Takeshima) are to the ROK-Japan relations?

[Evaluation of the Third-party Subrogation Payment] What do you think about the South Korean government’s proposal of a “third-party subrogation payment” to resolve the dispute over Wartime Forced Labor?

[ROK Government’s Response to the Sado Mine Issue] On July 27, 2024, the Sado Mine in Japan was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. How do you evaluate the South Korean government’s response during the negotiation process between the South Korean and Japanese governments to reflect the history of forced labor of Koreans at the Sado Mine during the Japanese colonial era?

[Opinion on the ROK-US-Japan Trilateral Military Security Cooperation] What is your opinion on the idea of strengthening trilateral military security cooperation between South Korea, the United States, and Japan?

[Reasons of the Negative Opinion on the ROK-US-Japan Trilateral Military Security Cooperation] What are the reasons for your negative opinion?

[Reasons of the Positive Opinion on the ROK-US-Japan Trilateral Military Security Cooperation] What are the reasons for your positive opinion?

[Direction of the ROK-Japan Security Cooperation in Response to North Korea] What do you think about the direction of the ROK-Japan security cooperation, in response to the rapidly increasing nuclear and missile threats by North Korea?

[Prediction of the Future of Japan] What do you think about the future of Japan?

[Enjoyment of Japan’s Popular Culture] Do you enjoy Japan's popular culture?

[Impression of Japan Through Popular Culture] Do you think that popular culture improves Japan's impression?

[Impression of Japan Through Popular Culture] Which areas of the popular culture are you interested in?

[Implications of the Worsening ROK-Japan Relations on the Consumption of Japan’s Popular Culture] When the ROK-Japan relations worsen, does that situation affect your consumption of Japan's popular culture?

Major Project

Center for Japan Studies

Japan

Public Opinion

Detailed Business

Redesigning Korea-Japan Relations

Korea-Japan(East Asia) Public Opinion Survey

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