Pew poll: How the Japanese and Chinese see each other

TOKYO – Arrogant, violent and to varying degrees, nationalistic. That’s how the Japanese and Chinese publics see each other’s country, according to a new poll that reflects the geopolitical tensions between the neighbouring East Asia powers.

The annual Pew Research Center survey, released Tuesday in Washington, D.C., found that while views of each other have improved slightly in recent years, they remain overwhelmingly negative and worse than a decade ago. A huge surge in Chinese tourists visiting Japan apparently hasn’t changed public opinion much.

Some highlights:

NEGATIVITY

Negative feelings spiked in 2013, after a long-running territorial dispute over some remote, uninhabited islands flared in 2012. They have climbed down since then but remain high.

Japanese with a very unfavourable view of China:

2006: 22 per cent

2013: 48 per cent

2016: 42 per cent

Chinese with a very unfavourable view of Japan:

2006: 29 per cent

2013: 74 per cent

2016: 53 per cent

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WAR FEARS

Japanese are more worried than Chinese that China’s territorial disputes with Japan and other neighbouring countries could lead to military conflict. The two nations’ coast guard ships regularly assert sovereignty near the Japan-controlled Senkaku islands, which China also claims and calls Diaoyu.

Japanese very concerned about a conflict: 35 per cent

Japanese somewhat concerned: 45 per cent

Chinese very concerned: 18 per cent

Chinese somewhat concerned: 41 per cent

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ARROGANCE

How Japanese see Chinese:

Arrogant: 81 per cent

Nationalistic: 76 per cent

Violent: 71 per cent

How Chinese see Japanese:

Arrogant: 70 per cent

Nationalistic: 41 per cent

Violent: 74 per cent

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APOLOGIES

Japan has repeatedly expressed remorse for its invasion of China in the 1930s and 1940s, but China has questioned the sincerity of the official statements and accused some in Japan of trying to whitewash history.

Japanese who believe Japan has apologized enough:

2006: 40 per cent

2016: 53 per cent

Chinese who believe Japan hasn’t apologized enough:

2006: 81 per cent

2016: 77 per cent

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NeighbourS

Favourable view of South Korea:

Japan: 27 per cent

China: 55 per cent

Favourable view of India:

Japan: 54 per cent

China: 26 per cent

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METHODOLOGY

The survey of 1,000 Japanese was conducted between April 26 and May 29 using landline telephones and cellphones. The Japan results have a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points. The survey in China was conducted face-to-face with 3,154 people between April 6 and May 8. It has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.