70% in Japan, 60% in China have negative impression of other country+

TOKYO, Aug. 14 Kyodo -
About 70 percent of Japanese and 60 percent of Chinese polled in a survey said
they have a negative impression of each other's country against the backdrop of
food safety concerns, differences over historical incidents and a bilateral
dispute over resource development, according to the poll released Saturday.
The annual survey found that while the ratio of Japanese who view China
negatively was almost unchanged from the previous year, the proportion of
Chinese who have negative feelings toward Japan declined by more than 10
percentage points, apparently reflecting their exposure to a more positive
image of Japan through the Chinese media.
The survey, jointly conducted by Chinese state-run newspaper The China Daily
and Japanese think tank Genron NPO, polled 1,000 Japanese across Japan and
1,617 Chinese in five major cities including Beijing and Shanghai aged 18 or
older in June and July.
Specifically, a total of 72.0 percent of Japanese said they have an unfavorable
image of China, compared with 73.2 percent in 2009, while a total of 55.9
percent of Chinese expressed negative feelings toward Japan, down from 65.2
percent the previous year.
The poll, which has been conducted every year since 2005, cited ''doubts about
the Chinese government's response to food safety and other issues'' and
''apparently self-centered Chinese behavior to secure natural resources, energy
and food'' as major factors contributing to an unfavorable image of China.
Food-poisoning cases in Japan involving tainted Chinese-made frozen dumplings
in late 2007 and early 2008, which made 10 people ill, had a particularly bad
effect on Japanese consumers. The two countries are also in a dispute over gas
development in the East China Sea, where the exclusive economic zones claimed
by them overlap.
Meanwhile, Chinese people attributed their negative sentiment toward Japan to
the fact that the two countries had fought a war in the not-too-distant past
and to their belief that Japanese people ''do not properly recognize their
wartime aggression.''
In a Tokyo press conference to unveil the results of the survey ahead of its
release, Wu Yi, vice president of Horizon Research Consultancy Group that
contributed to the poll, said that since direct exchanges between people of the
two countries are limited the media play a major role in influencing their
understanding of each other's country.
The survey found that while Japanese people mostly depend on Japanese news
media in accessing information on China, the sources of Japan-related
information for Chinese people are diversified, including news, television
dramas, movies and books.
''Because positive reports on Japan by the Chinese media are on the rise, I
believe Chinese increasingly have a favorable image of Japan,'' Wu said. ''For
example, Japanese family dramas are broadcast at prime time in China, enabling
the Chinese audience to understand the lives of ordinary Japanese families.''
''On the other hand, Japanese media often report negatively about the increase
of China's military and economic power,'' he said.
While 81.5 percent of Japanese and 92.5 percent of Chinese said they think the
bilateral relationship is ''important,'' many people in both countries said the
two governments' disputes over territory and marine resources as well as a
''lack of confidence'' between Japanese and Chinese people hamper good ties.
As for Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council,
69.3 percent of Chinese said Japan ''does not need to'' become a member, while
10.8 percent of Japanese said the same.
In Japan, 42.2 percent said they think Japan should try to secure a permanent
seat at the Security Council, down from 54.5 percent last year, while 46.4
percent said they ''do not know'' whether it should do so, up from 36.5
percent.
In a multiple-choice question, 47.0 percent of Japanese said they feel a
''military threat'' from China, while 52.7 percent of Chinese felt a similar
danger from Japan.
Japanese respondents cited China's military buildup, its frequent intrusion
into Japanese territorial waters and possession of nuclear weapons as reasons
for their fear, while Chinese respondents referred to the history of Japanese
wartime invasion and the existence of ''those who wish to revive Japan's
militarism.''
==Kyodo
2010-08-14 23:35:40


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