45 Pct of Arabs Think Japan Has Nuclear Weapons: Poll

Cairo, Oct. 27 (Jiji Press)--In the Arab world, 45 pct of people think that Japan has nuclear weapons, a public opinion poll has shown, suggesting widespread misconceptions about Japan's politics and society among Arabs. At the same time, the survey revealed Arabs' positive feelings toward Japan, unlike the United States and Europe, which have historically difficult relations with the Middle East. The poll was conducted in mid-September by Arab News, a major Saudi Arabian English-language newspaper publisher, and British pollster YouGov, covering about 3,000 Arabic speakers aged 16 or older in 18 Arab nations. The survey showed that 59 pct of Arabs aged 16 to 24 think that Japan has nuclear weapons. But the vast majority of respondents associate Japanese people with positive attributes, with 61 pct regarding them as "hardworking," 54 pct as "organized" and 42 pct as "punctual." Japan ranked first in terms of quality of products. Japan was rated first by 71 pct of respondents, far above the United States, with 20 pct, China, with 6 pct, and South Korea, with 4 pct. Backed by such credibility, Japan was preferred by 37 pct to be "the most neutral mediator" for a potential peace deal between Israel and Palestine, against 10 pct for the European Union and 7 pct for the United States. Thirty-three pct said they do not know. The survey also showed that more than 20 pct of Arabs incorrectly associate Japan with the South Korean brands Samsung and LG. While only 4 pct of Arabs have ever visited Japan, 87 pct said they intend to visit Japan at some point in their lives. According to the poll, 58 pct of Arabs associate Japan the most with its ancient warriors known as samurai, 56 pct with car manufacturing and 53 pct with sushi. As favorite Japanese anime or manga, 75 pct picked "Captain Majid," or "Captain Tsubasa," and 48 pct selected "Pokemon," or "Pocket Monsters."