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OPINION POLL (P 05-4)

Dong-A Ilbo Opinion Poll: Special Research on Japanese Attitudes toward China and Other Nations

Dates Conducted

March 27-28, 2005

Released

April 26, 2005

Methodology

This survey research was conducted as part of a joint research survey with Asahi Shimbun of Japan and The Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

The following survey was conducted by survey department of Asahi Shimbun. The department conducted face-to-face interview with 1,781 Japanese adults, aged 20 and older (the margin of error is +/- 2.3 percent).

The Mansfield Foundation selected 34 relevant questions from the survey to translate into English. The Foundation used a version of Korean translation provided by Dong-A Ilbo. A similar survey was conducted in Korea and China.

Key Issues

* Japan’s relations with the United States, China and Korea.
* Perception on China’s economic growth
*Perspectives on history issue

Background

This survey, which examines Japanese attitudes towards China and other nations, was conducted towards the end of March 2005. The preceding months saw tensions rise between Japan and its neighbors, fuelled largely by historical disputes and clashing nationalist sentiment.

Prospects for Sino-Japanese ties appeared good when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi did not visit the Yasukuni Shrine at the start of the year (Koizumi did, however, visit the shrine on October 17). Working-level diplomatic discussions between China and Japan took place in January, culminating in a Japanese proposal to advance bilateral relations. Unfortunately, hostilities rose due to sovereignty issues over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyutai Islands and oil deposits in the East China Sea. This was exacerbated by a joint U.S.-Japan statement on February 19 calling for a “peaceful resolution” of the Taiwan question, which Beijing protested as interference in its domestic affairs. Economic dealings, however, were not affected by the diplomatic tension. China replaced the United States as Japan’s largest trading partner for the year 2004, prompting calls for a free-trade agreement between the two countries.

Disputes over the Tokdo/Takeshima islands marred what had been a positive outlook for Korea-Japan relations during the 40th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties. Riding on a wave of nationalistic sentiment, President Roh Moo-Hyun issued a letter to the people on March 23, declaring a “diplomatic war” with Japan. Little progress for a bilateral free-trade agreement was made over the quarter, with agriculture being the major sticking point in negotiations. Textbooks purporting to whitewash Japanese history also remained a contentious issue between both nations. On the upside, the growth of Korean popular culture seemed to have some mitigating effect on Japanese public opinion toward South Korea.

Meanwhile, attempts at bringing North Korea to the table for another round of the Six-Party Talks proved futile. As 2005 opened, Pyongyang stated it would not return to the talks without at least a rhetorical shift in U.S. policy. A congressional trip to North Korea in mid-January seemed to defuse tensions temporarily, but did not have a lasting effect, as the A.Q. Kahn scandal revealed details of North Korean uranium sales to Libya. On February 10, North Korea announced that it possessed nuclear weapons and would suspend participation in the Six-Party Talks indefinitely.

Link to Sources

http://www.donga.com/fbin/output?f=aps&n=200504260247&main=1

Use of this poll is subject to the Mansfield Foundation Terms of Use.

Overall opinion of foreign countries

1. Is your overall opinion of the United States favorable or unfavorable?

Group	Favorable	Unfavorable	Neither	No response	Total
Overall	22.8	14.7	61.0	1.5	100.0
Male	28.7	14.4	55.7	1.2	100.0
Female	17.5	14.9	65.7	1.9	100.0
20's	26.3	13.4	60.3	0.0	100.0
30's	23.9	14.0	62.1	0.0	100.0
40's	25.4	13.4	60.5	0.7	100.0
50's	24.6	11.2	62.2	2.0	100.0
60's or older	19.1	17.8	60.2	2.9	100.0
LDP supporters	32.5	11.2	55.3	1.0	100.0
Democratic party supporters	22.6	19.8	56.8	0.8	100.0
New Komeito supporters	18.4	10.2	69.4	2.0	100.0
Communist party supporters	17.1	39.0	41.5	2.4	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	13.8	27.6	48.3	10.3	100.0
Supporters for other parties	37.5	12.5	37.5	12.5	100.0
Independent	18.0	14.0	66.4	1.7	100.0

2. Is your overall opinion of China favorable or unfavorable?

Group	Favorable	Unfavorable	Neither	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	9.9	27.6	59.8	2.7	100.0
Male	12.5	29.3	55.5	2.7	100.0
Female	7.7	26.1	63.7	2.6	100.0
20's	15.6	20.7	63.1	0.6	100.0
30's	7.6	21.9	69.8	0.7	100.0
40's	8.6	26.1	63.9	1.4	100.0
50's	10.6	28.3	57.4	3.6	100.0
60's or older	9.6	32.5	53.8	4.1	100.0
LDP supporters	12.0	32.7	53.9	1.4	100.0
Democratic party supporters	9.9	31.3	56.8	2.1	100.0
New Komeito supporters	22.4	6.1	65.3	6.1	100.0
Communist party supporters	17.1	31.7	46.3	4.9	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	10.3	37.9	44.8	6.9	100.0
Supporters for other parties	0.0	12.5	75.0	12.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	7.9	24.5	64.6	3.0	100.0

3. Is your overall opinion of South Korea favorable or unfavorable?

Group	Favorable	Unfavorable	Neither	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	15.5	21.5	60.7	2.3	100.0
Male	17.0	21.9	58.5	2.6	100.0
Female	14.1	21.1	62.7	2.0	100.0
20's	23.5	10.1	65.9	0.6	100.0
30's	19.9	14.0	65.4	0.7	100.0
40's	18.6	13.4	67.0	1.0	100.0
50's	15.4	23.0	58.8	2.8	100.0
60's or older	10.0	30.9	55.3	3.8	100.0
LDP supporters	17.6	26.7	53.7	2.0	100.0
Democratic party supporters	17.7	22.6	58.4	1.2	100.0
New Komeito supporters	34.7	10.2	49.0	6.1	100.0
Communist party supporters	17.1	19.5	56.1	7.3	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	6.9	31.0	51.7	10.3	100.0
Supporters for other parties	0.0	12.5	75.0	12.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	13.0	18.8	66.3	2.0	100.0

4. What is your opinion of North Korea? Is it favorable or unfavorable?

Group	Favorable	Unfavorable	Neither	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	0.2	79.4	17.5	2.9	100.0
Male	0.2	80.1	16.7	3.0	100.0
Female	0.1	78.9	18.3	2.8	100.0
20's	0.0	62.6	35.2	2.2	100.0
30's	0.3	75.7	21.9	2.0	100.0
40's	0.0	83.5	15.5	1.0	100.0
50's	0.3	85.2	11.2	3.4	100.0
60's or older	0.2	80.9	15.0	4.0	100.0
LDP supporters	0.2	87.5	10.4	2.0	100.0
Democratic party supporters	0.0	84.8	12.8	2.5	100.0
New Komeito supporters	0.0	61.2	34.7	4.1	100.0
Communist party supporters	0.0	58.5	26.8	14.6	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	0.0	75.9	20.7	3.4	100.0
Supporters for other parties	0.0	50.0	37.5	12.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	0.2	75.8	21.2	2.8	100.0

Threat perception

5. Which country do you feel is most threatening to the security of Japan? Please choose one.

Group	US	Russia	China	South Korea	North Korea	India	Iraq	Others	No threat exists	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	11.1	0.8	13.4	1.6	57.0	0.1	0.8	0.8	6.2	8.2	100.0
Male	9.4	0.8	19.6	1.2	59.4	0.0	0.5	0.1	6.0	3.0	100.0
Female	12.5	0.7	7.9	1.9	54.9	0.2	1.2	1.4	6.4	12.9	100.0
20's	19.6	1.1	4.5	2.2	58.7	0.6	2.2	0.6	8.4	2.2	100.0
30's	13.3	0.7	12.0	1.0	62.5	0.0	0.7	1.0	4.7	4.3	100.0
40's	11.7	0.3	13.4	0.7	62.5	0.0	1.4	0.0	5.5	4.5	100.0
50's	10.1	1.1	16.0	2.5	59.4	0.0	0.0	0.8	5.3	4.8	100.0
60's or older	8.0	0.8	15.2	1.5	50.4	0.2	0.8	1.1	7.0	15.2	100.0
LDP supporters	9.0	1.6	14.7	1.8	60.4	0.0	1.0	1.0	3.7	6.9	100.0
Democratic party supporters	11.9	0.4	17.7	1.2	59.7	0.8	1.2	0.4	3.7	2.9	100.0
New Komeito supporters	14.3	2.0	12.2	0.0	57.1	0.0	0.0	2.0	6.1	6.1	100.0
Communist party supporters	26.8	0.0	12.2	0.0	43.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	17.1	0.0	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	10.3	3.4	13.8	0.0	65.5	0.0	0.0	3.4	0.0	3.4	100.0
Supporters for other parties	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	62.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	25.0	12.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	11.2	0.3	11.8	1.8	54.7	0.0	0.8	0.7	7.8	11.0	100.0

6. Name one country that you think Japan should have friendly relations with.

Country
US	36.7
Russia	0.3
China	24.4
South Korea	10.3
North Korea	3.3
India	0.4
Vietnam	0.8
Iraq	0.7
Others	5.4
No specific country	7.1
Don't know/ No response	10.6
	100.0

Perceptions of countries in the region

7. Do you think Japan-South Korea relations are going well?

Group	Yes	No	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	24.4	61.3	14.3	100.0
Male	29.2	60.5	10.4	100.0
Female	20.1	62.0	18.0	100.0
20's	33.0	60.3	6.7	100.0
30's	24.3	65.4	10.3	100.0
40's	25.4	60.1	14.4	100.0
50's	28.0	59.9	12.0	100.0
60's or older	19.6	60.8	19.6	100.0
LDP supporters	26.1	61.2	12.7	100.0
Democratic party supporters	27.6	62.1	10.3	100.0
New Komeito supporters	24.5	65.3	10.2	100.0
Communist party supporters	17.1	78.0	4.9	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	37.9	41.4	20.7	100.0
Supporters for other parties	25.0	37.5	37.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	22.4	60.9	16.6	100.0

8. Do you think Japan-China relations are going well?

Group	Yes	No	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	22.9	60.8	16.3	100.0
Male	25.5	63.0	11.5	100.0
Female	20.5	58.9	20.6	100.0
20's	23.5	63.7	12.8	100.0
30's	21.3	67.8	11.0	100.0
40's	22.0	64.6	13.4	100.0
50's	27.2	59.9	12.9	100.0
60's or older	21.4	55.6	23.0	100.0
LDP supporters	28.0	56.7	15.3	100.0
Democratic party supporters	26.3	62.1	11.5	100.0
New Komeito supporters	28.6	53.1	18.4	100.0
Communist party supporters	19.5	73.2	7.3	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	24.1	62.1	13.8	100.0
Supporters for other parties	0.0	50.0	50.0	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	19.0	62.7	18.3	100.0

9. What kind of information about South Korea are you particularly interested in? Choose two among following choices.

Group	Politics/ Diplomacy	Food/ Health	History/ Culture	Entertainment/Sports	Tourism	Society/ Social issues	Economy	Korean goods	Science/ Technology	Don't know/ No response
Overall	29.3	26.4	24.8	21.7	19.4	17.7	15.4	9.8	4.6	8.8
Male	34.9	18.7	27.4	19.0	18.1	17.9	20.6	12.5	7.3	6.1
Female	24.3	33.3	22.4	24.0	20.6	17.5	10.8	7.4	2.2	11.3
20's	20.7	35.2	22.9	34.1	30.7	16.8	11.7	7.3	5.0	2.8
30's	33.2	27.9	23.3	26.6	23.6	18.6	14.6	9.6	5.3	4.3
40's	30.9	27.5	18.9	27.1	22.3	22.3	13.7	12.0	6.2	5.2
50's	27.2	27.7	30.8	20.2	21.3	17.1	14.8	13.2	4.5	5.6
60's or older	30.3	22.1	25.3	14.4	12.1	15.8	17.9	7.8	3.5	15.9
LDP supporters	31.0	22.7	25.3	21.6	18.0	15.7	18.0	11.6	3.9	9.2
Democratic party supporters	33.3	25.5	23.0	21.0	23.0	21.0	17.3	11.1	7.8	1.2
New Komeito supporters	28.6	28.6	44.9	12.2	20.4	12.2	22.4	8.2	4.1	4.1
Communist party supporters	29.3	19.5	41.5	19.5	12.2	17.1	19.5	12.2	2.4	7.3
Social Democratic Party supporters	41.4	24.1	37.9	17.2	13.8	34.5	10.3	3.4	10.3	0.0
Supporters for other parties	37.5	50.0	12.5	0.0	12.5	25.0	0.0	12.5	0.0	12.5
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	26.9	28.7	22.8	22.9	19.8	17.6	13.2	8.7	4.1	11.2

10. What kind of information about China are you particularly interested in? Choose two among following choices.

Group	Politics/ Diplomacy	Economy	History/ Culture	Food/Health	Chinese goods	Society/ Social issues	Tourism	Science/ Technology	Entertainment/ Sports	Don't know/ No response
Overall	32.0	27.9	27.3	21.1	18.5	17.0	15.1	5.6	4.7	9.0
Male	38.8	37.0	26.4	15.2	20.0	16.3	12.6	7.5	5.0	4.9
Female	25.9	19.8	28.1	26.4	17.1	17.5	17.3	3.8	4.4	12.8
20's	22.9	25.7	30.2	29.6	16.8	16.8	22.3	5.6	12.3	3.9
30's	31.6	34.6	29.9	22.9	15.3	19.9	17.9	5.6	1.3	3.7
40's	33.3	28.2	30.9	18.2	19.6	23.4	14.4	8.6	3.4	5.8
50's	31.9	31.9	28.3	20.7	21.3	17.1	17.6	7.6	3.4	5.0
60's or older	34.2	23.1	23.1	19.4	18.4	12.7	10.7	3.1	5.4	16.5
LDP supporters	37.1	30.8	24.7	18.4	19.8	14.9	13.9	4.9	5.7	8.2
Democratic party supporters	39.5	34.6	23.9	16.5	20.6	16.5	16.9	6.6	5.3	2.9
New Komeito supporters	24.5	20.4	34.7	24.5	16.3	20.4	16.3	6.1	4.1	10.2
Communist party supporters	39.0	22.0	22.0	26.8	26.8	17.1	9.8	12.2	7.3	4.9
Social Democratic Party supporters	41.4	48.3	41.4	10.3	27.6	20.7	6.9	0.0	0.0	0.0
Supporters for other parties	25.0	37.5	12.5	0.0	25.0	12.5	12.5	0.0	12.5	12.5
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	27.0	24.4	29.2	24.0	16.5	18.0	15.8	5.5	3.9	11.5

11. What do you think of the current economic situation in Japan?

Group	Very good	Good	Bad	Very bad	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	0.4	15.8	69.2	9.5	5.1	100.0
Male	0.2	17.6	69.4	8.9	3.8	100.0
Female	0.5	14.2	69.0	10.0	6.3	100.0
20's	0.6	13.4	72.1	11.2	2.8	100.0
30's	0.7	14.0	73.4	7.6	4.3	100.0
40's	0.0	12.0	74.6	12.0	1.4	100.0
50's	0.0	12.0	72.5	11.2	4.2	100.0
60's or older	0.6	21.1	62.2	7.8	8.3	100.0
LDP supporters	0.6	20.8	66.7	6.5	5.5	100.0
Democratic party supporters	0.0	19.8	67.9	9.5	2.9	100.0
New Komeito supporters	0.0	16.3	75.5	8.2	0.0	100.0
Communist party supporters	0.0	7.3	70.7	22.0	0.0	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	0.0	17.2	69.0	13.8	0.0	100.0
Supporters for other parties	0.0	0.0	87.5	0.0	12.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	0.4	12.4	70.4	10.7	6.1	100.0

12. Which country or region do you think will be the most important for Japan’s economy in the future?

Group	US	China	South Korea	Southeast Asia	EU	Others	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	32.8	39.1	4.2	8.9	4.2	1.7	9.1	100.0
Male	27.5	48.6	3.6	10.6	4.4	1.5	3.8	100.0
Female	37.6	30.7	4.8	7.4	3.9	1.9	13.6	100.0
20's	34.6	31.8	7.8	10.6	10.1	1.7	3.4	100.0
30's	31.9	43.2	4.7	11.6	4.7	1.7	2.3	100.0
40's	30.9	47.1	4.5	8.9	4.1	0.7	3.8	100.0
50's	31.9	47.1	2.2	8.1	4.2	1.1	5.3	100.0
60's or older	34.2	31.4	4.0	7.7	2.3	2.6	17.9	100.0
LDP supporters	38.6	37.6	4.1	7.6	2.7	1.6	7.6	100.0
Democratic party supporters	28.0	48.6	4.9	9.9	4.5	0.8	3.3	100.0
New Komeito supporters	32.7	38.8	2.0	14.3	2.0	6.1	4.1	100.0
Communist party supporters	36.6	29.3	4.9	22.0	0.0	2.4	4.9	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	27.6	41.4	6.9	6.9	6.9	0.0	10.3	100.0
Supporters for other parties	50.0	12.5	0.0	12.5	0.0	0.0	25.0	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	30.7	38.1	4.1	8.5	5.1	1.9	11.5	100.0

13. Do you feel in your daily life that Japan’s economic relations with China and South Korea have been deepened over the last 5 years?

Group	Very much so	To some extent	Not much	Not at all	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	9.5	47.4	31.4	6.2	5.5	100.0
Male	13.0	50.8	29.4	4.6	2.1	100.0
Female	6.5	44.3	33.3	7.7	8.3	100.0
20's	7.8	52.0	34.6	5.0	0.6	100.0
30's	10.0	49.5	35.2	3.7	1.7	100.0
40's	8.6	59.8	25.1	5.2	1.4	100.0
50's	12.6	48.7	33.3	2.5	2.8	100.0
60's or older	8.6	38.9	30.6	10.3	11.6	100.0
LDP supporters	8.4	49.0	31.8	5.9	4.9	100.0
Democratic party supporters	14.8	50.2	30.0	2.9	2.1	100.0
New Komeito supporters	4.1	53.1	30.6	6.1	6.1	100.0
Communist party supporters	14.6	43.9	34.1	4.9	2.4	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	17.2	55.2	20.7	3.4	3.4	100.0
Supporters for other parties	12.5	25.0	25.0	25.0	12.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	8.5	45.5	32.0	7.3	6.7	100.0

14. Choose one among following that has increased the most in your life with respect to South Korea for the last 5 years.

Group	Personal contacts with South Koreans	Buying South Korean goods	Watching Korean movies/TV dramas	Not especially increased	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	3.9	11.3	34.4	48.7	1.7	100.0
Male	5.6	12.7	28.5	52.0	1.2	100.0
Female	2.3	10.0	39.7	45.7	2.2	100.0
20's	6.1	10.6	36.9	46.4	0.0	100.0
30's	5.0	9.3	42.5	42.5	0.7	100.0
40's	3.8	12.0	42.6	41.6	0.0	100.0
50's	3.4	14.0	38.4	43.1	1.1	100.0
60's or older	3.1	10.6	24.2	58.3	3.8	100.0
LDP supporters	4.7	10.2	34.1	49.8	1.2	100.0
Democratic party supporters	3.7	16.0	33.7	45.3	1.2	100.0
New Komeito supporters	0.0	16.3	55.1	28.6	0.0	100.0
Communist party supporters	4.9	26.8	14.6	53.7	0.0	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	6.9	17.2	27.6	41.4	6.9	100.0
Supporters for other parties	0.0	12.5	25.0	50.0	12.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	3.6	9.4	34.9	50.1	2.1	100.0

15. Choose one among following that has increased the most in your life with respect to China for the last 5 years.

Group	Personal contacts with Chinese people	Buying Chinese goods	Watching Chinese movies/TV dramas	Not especially increased	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	6.5	25.4	4.7	61.3	2.1	100.0
Male	8.1	30.0	4.3	56.5	1.1	100.0
Female	5.0	21.4	5.1	65.6	3.0	100.0
20's	10.6	20.7	7.8	60.9	0.0	100.0
30's	8.6	22.9	5.0	62.5	1.0	100.0
40's	8.2	30.6	2.7	58.1	0.3	100.0
50's	5.0	30.5	5.9	57.7	0.8	100.0
60's or older	4.3	22.8	4.0	64.3	4.6	100.0
LDP supporters	6.5	24.9	4.5	62.0	2.2	100.0
Democratic party supporters	7.8	32.1	6.2	53.9	0.0	100.0
New Komeito supporters	8.2	32.7	14.3	44.9	0.0	100.0
Communist party supporters	0.0	31.7	4.9	63.4	0.0	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	6.9	27.6	6.9	51.7	6.9	100.0
Supporters for other parties	0.0	25.0	0.0	62.5	12.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	6.3	23.2	3.9	64.0	2.6	100.0

Prospect of China’s economic growth and regional implications

16. Do you think economic growth of China will favorably or negatively affect the economies of Japan?

Group	Favorably	Negatively	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	45.6	31.7	22.7	100.0
Male	52.6	32.7	14.6	100.0
Female	39.3	30.8	29.9	100.0
20's	55.9	25.1	19.0	100.0
30's	54.5	29.9	15.6	100.0
40's	52.9	30.9	16.2	100.0
50's	49.3	32.8	17.9	100.0
60's or older	33.4	34.2	32.5	100.0
LDP supporters	45.7	35.5	18.8	100.0
Democratic party supporters	51.4	32.9	15.6	100.0
New Komeito supporters	53.1	22.4	24.5	100.0
Communist party supporters	51.2	26.8	22.0	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	58.6	20.7	20.7	100.0
Supporters for other parties	25.0	50.0	25.0	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	43.1	30.2	26.7	100.0

17. Currently, China is the seventh largest economic power in the world in terms of its GDP. Do you believe that China is likely to be the world’s greatest economic power? Please choose one among the choices.

Group	Yes, within 10 years	Within 25 years	Less than 50 years	50 years or later	Never	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	12.2	16.8	6.7	3.1	51.7	9.5	100.0
Male	12.7	19.5	7.6	3.5	52.0	4.6	100.0
Female	11.8	14.3	6.0	2.8	51.3	13.8	100.0
20's	7.8	20.1	10.6	6.1	49.7	5.6	100.0
30's	11.3	16.6	9.6	3.3	54.8	4.3	100.0
40's	15.5	20.6	6.9	3.1	50.5	3.4	100.0
50's	15.4	19.9	5.6	2.8	51.3	5.0	100.0
60's or older	10.7	12.6	4.9	2.3	51.5	18.1	100.0
LDP supporters	11.8	14.9	6.1	3.9	54.1	9.2	100.0
Democratic party supporters	14.4	21.0	6.2	3.3	52.3	2.9	100.0
New Komeito supporters	14.3	18.4	4.1	2.0	49.0	12.2	100.0
Communist party supporters	19.5	19.5	9.8	0.0	48.8	2.4	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	20.7	31.0	6.9	3.4	34.5	3.4	100.0
Supporters for other parties	0.0	12.5	12.5	0.0	50.0	25.0	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	11.3	16.1	7.2	2.8	50.9	11.7	100.0

18. If you feel worried about China’s economic development, which of the following is the closest to your concerns?

Group	Sharp changes in exchange rate/business conditions in China	Environmental degradation	Prospect for competition over food & resources	China's increasing political influence	China's military build-up	No specific concerns	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	11.5	18.0	17.3	15.5	17.1	15.2	5.4	100.0
Male	12.0	20.2	20.6	16.2	19.6	9.2	2.1	100.0
Female	10.9	16.0	14.5	14.9	14.8	20.5	8.4	100.0
20's	13.4	21.8	15.6	14.5	15.6	16.8	2.2	100.0
30's	13.6	20.9	20.9	15.0	14.0	12.3	2.7	100.0
40's	18.6	20.3	16.2	19.6	13.1	10.7	1.7	100.0
50's	14.3	19.0	20.2	19.0	16.0	9.0	2.5	100.0
60's or older	5.2	14.1	15.2	11.9	21.3	21.4	10.9	100.0
LDP supporters	9.6	13.9	17.6	15.3	21.8	15.7	6.1	100.0
Democratic party supporters	12.8	23.5	19.3	16.9	17.3	8.2	2.1	100.0
New Komeito supporters	10.2	24.5	16.3	10.2	16.3	16.3	6.1	100.0
Communist party supporters	9.8	14.6	22.0	14.6	19.5	19.5	0.0	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	6.9	27.6	20.7	20.7	10.3	10.3	3.4	100.0
Supporters for other parties	0.0	0.0	37.5	0.0	0.0	37.5	25.0	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	12.5	18.5	16.2	15.5	14.7	16.4	6.1	100.0

19. As China’s economy advances, Japan has reduced its ODA support in China. Do you support the reduction of ODA by Japan or oppose it?
(support/oppose/don’t know)

Group	Support	Oppose	Don't know/ No response	Total
Overall	62.6	21.5	15.9	100.0
Male	70.7	20.8	8.5	100.0
Female	55.4	22.1	22.5	100.0
20's	62.6	22.3	15.1	100.0
30's	68.8	18.3	13.0	100.0
40's	71.8	15.5	12.7	100.0
50's	64.7	22.4	12.9	100.0
60's or older	54.5	25.0	20.5	100.0
LDP supporters	63.7	25.3	11.0	100.0
Democratic party supporters	73.7	19.3	7.0	100.0
New Komeito supporters	51.0	28.6	20.4	100.0
Communist party supporters	56.1	31.7	12.2	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	69.0	24.1	6.9	100.0
Supporters for other parties	50.0	0.0	50.0	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	59.8	19.2	21.0	100.0

20. What factors do you think will threaten peace and stability in East Asia – including Southeast Asia? Choose two among choices.

Group	The Korean peninsula	Territorial disputes	Terrorism	Chinese military	Tensions over the Taiwan Strait	Presence of US forces	Japanese military power	Don't know/ No response
Overall	43.1	36.0	31.7	19.3	17.3	14.3	6.5	7.2
Male	51.0	36.8	25.0	23.7	24.9	11.4	5.7	3.1
Female	36.0	35.3	37.7	15.4	10.6	16.9	7.1	10.9
20's	41.9	36.3	42.5	11.2	16.2	20.1	6.7	1.7
30's	56.5	33.2	35.2	16.6	14.3	16.3	5.6	3.3
40's	48.1	38.5	35.7	18.6	18.6	14.8	5.8	4.1
50's	47.6	40.6	29.1	22.1	19.0	13.2	3.6	4.2
60's or older	32.5	33.5	26.8	21.6	17.6	12.3	8.6	13.6
LDP supporters	42.7	39.0	31.8	19.4	17.8	11.6	7.5	6.9
Democratic party supporters	46.5	37.0	28.8	23.9	23.0	14.0	2.9	2.5
New Komeito supporters	40.8	32.7	42.9	20.4	6.1	24.5	8.2	4.1
Communist party supporters	58.5	19.5	19.5	14.6	12.2	31.7	12.2	4.9
Social Democratic Party supporters	44.8	44.8	27.6	24.1	24.1	20.7	6.9	0.0
Supporters for other parties	50.0	37.5	12.5	0.0	12.5	0.0	0.0	25.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	41.6	34.6	32.7	18.2	16.2	14.5	6.5	9.1

21. Which areas do you believe are the most important for developing interdependence among East Asian countries? Please choose two among choices.

Group	Security	Environment	Trade/ Investment	Education	Science/ Technology	Freer movement of labor	Don't know/ No response
Overall	51.4	41.3	26.0	24.1	16.3	12.6	6.0
Male	53.5	41.3	31.9	23.3	16.1	14.5	2.0
Female	49.6	41.3	20.7	24.8	16.6	10.8	9.5
20's	49.2	43.0	29.6	24.6	20.7	10.1	1.7
30's	48.5	49.5	31.6	22.9	17.9	12.6	2.0
40's	59.5	43.0	28.9	21.3	18.2	11.0	2.1
50's	55.5	44.0	26.9	24.9	12.0	17.6	2.5
60's or older	47.6	34.9	20.7	25.3	15.9	11.2	12.6
LDP supporters	52.0	37.3	28.8	24.5	17.8	11.4	6.3
Democratic party supporters	52.3	42.0	30.5	26.3	16.9	14.4	1.2
New Komeito supporters	42.9	44.9	24.5	36.7	20.4	4.1	2.0
Communist party supporters	68.3	51.2	4.9	22.0	14.6	17.1	2.4
Social Democratic Party supporters	51.7	51.7	20.7	27.6	17.2	13.8	0.0
Supporters for other parties	50.0	12.5	12.5	25.0	25.0	0.0	25.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	50.6	42.7	24.5	22.5	15.1	13.1	7.4

Perception on Japan’s increasing role

22. The UN is now trying to reform its Security Council structure by increasing the number of its permanent members. Do you support or oppose Japan’s being a new member of the UN Security Council?

Group	Support	Oppose	Don't know/ No response	Total (%)
Overall	67.5	14.7	17.8	100.0
Male	76.7	14.2	9.2	100.0
Female	59.4	15.2	25.4	100.0
20's	74.9	12.8	12.3	100.0
30's	72.8	14.6	12.6	100.0
40's	71.1	14.4	14.4	100.0
50's	71.7	13.4	14.8	100.0
60's or older	59.3	16.1	24.7	100.0
LDP supporters	73.9	13.5	12.5	100.0
Democratic party supporters	77.8	12.3	9.9	100.0
New Komeito supporters	63.3	18.4	18.4	100.0
Communist party supporters	46.3	39.0	14.6	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	72.4	13.8	13.8	100.0
Supporters for other parties	37.5	0.0	62.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	62.5	14.9	22.6	100.0

Perception on the Koreas

23. Do you believe the two Koreas will be re-unified?

Group	Yes	No	Don't know/ No response	Total (%)
Overall	35.7	53.8	10.5	100.0
Male	42.9	51.2	6.0	100.0
Female	29.3	56.1	14.6	100.0
20's	33.0	63.7	3.4	100.0
30's	42.5	53.5	4.0	100.0
40's	39.9	53.6	6.5	100.0
50's	41.5	51.5	7.0	100.0
60's or older	28.3	52.5	19.1	100.0
LDP supporters	33.1	56.9	10.0	100.0
Democratic party supporters	40.3	54.3	5.3	100.0
New Komeito supporters	36.7	57.1	6.1	100.0
Communist party supporters	39.0	56.1	4.9	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	31.0	58.6	10.3	100.0
Supporters for other parties	12.5	50.0	37.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	36.1	51.5	12.4	100.0

24. Choose one among the following choices that best describes your first impression of North Korea.

Group	Development of nuclear weapons	Kidnapping Japanese/South Koreans	Spy boats/ Spy agents	Separated families	Refugees	Famine/ Lack of food	Human rights issues	Don't Know/ No response	Total(%)
Overall	22.9	48.7	5.8	1.3	5.7	5.6	6.2	3.8	100.0
Male	26.1	42.7	6.8	1.2	5.5	6.9	8.2	2.6	100.0
Female	20.0	54.0	4.9	1.5	5.8	4.5	4.4	5.0	100.0
20's	25.7	46.9	5.0	0.0	7.3	5.6	8.4	1.1	100.0
30's	24.3	47.5	6.3	1.0	8.3	5.3	5.6	1.7	100.0
40's	17.5	58.1	5.8	0.7	4.1	5.2	6.5	2.1	100.0
50's	24.1	49.0	4.8	2.0	4.5	6.2	7.3	2.2	100.0
60's or older	23.1	45.3	6.3	1.8	5.4	5.7	5.1	7.4	100.0
LDP supporters	27.5	47.3	6.5	1.6	4.9	6.1	3.3	2.9	100.0
Democratic party supporters	24.7	44.4	7.0	1.2	7.0	2.9	10.7	2.1	100.0
New Komeito supporters	20.4	59.2	8.2	2.0	4.1	2.0	4.1	0.0	100.0
Communist party supporters	14.6	39.0	9.8	2.4	4.9	19.5	9.8	0.0	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	6.9	62.1	3.4	0.0	13.8	0.0	10.3	3.4	100.0
Supporters for other parties	0.0	37.5	12.5	0.0	12.5	12.5	0.0	25.0	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	21.0	50.2	4.8	1.2	5.5	5.8	6.4	5.1	100.0

25. How much do you feel threatened by the North Korean nuclear development?

Group	Very much	To some extent	Not much	Not at all	Don't know/ No response	Total (%)
Overall	42.7	41.9	10.3	2.1	3.0	100.0
Male	41.9	43.3	11.5	1.9	1.3	100.0
Female	43.4	40.7	9.1	2.2	4.6	100.0
20's	48.0	39.7	9.5	2.8	0.0	100.0
30's	38.5	47.5	11.5	0.7	1.7	100.0
40's	36.4	50.9	9.3	2.1	1.4	100.0
50's	45.4	42.0	10.9	0.8	0.8	100.0
60's or older	44.4	36.0	10.0	3.2	6.4	100.0
LDP supporters	47.1	40.8	9.2	1.6	1.4	100.0
Democratic party supporters	46.1	42.4	8.6	1.6	1.2	100.0
New Komeito supporters	42.9	51.0	4.1	2.0	0.0	100.0
Communist party supporters	31.7	39.0	24.4	4.9	0.0	100.0
Social Democratic Party supporters	27.6	58.6	13.8	0.0	0.0	100.0
Supporters for other parties	12.5	37.5	12.5	0.0	37.5	100.0
Independent/ Non-committed/ Don't know	40.5	41.6	10.9	2.4	4.6	100.0

26. What do you think the neighboring countries should do with regard to North Korean problems including the North’s nuclear development and kidnapping of foreign civilians? Should countries continue talks with North Korea to use diplomatic means or apply more coercive means such as economic sanctions?

Group	Should use diplomatic means and continue talks	Should apply hard-lined poicy including economic sanctions	Don't know/ No response	Total (%)
Overall	47.2	46.0	6.8	100.0
Male	47.3	49.2	3.6	100.0