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China-Japan relations
ChinaDiplomacy

In Japan, the view of China is gloomier as perceptions of threat grow

  • Annual survey indicates that more than 90 per cent of Japanese have a negative impression of their giant neighbour
  • About two-thirds of people surveyed in China felt the same way about Japan

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The Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyus in China, are a persistent source of tension between the two countries. Photo: Kyodo
Laura Zhouin Beijing

Negative perceptions about China have worsened in Japan, according to a new survey, with people in both countries more pessimistic about bilateral ties.

Wartime history, territorial disputes in the East China Sea, China’s growing rivalry with the United States and China’s increasing military power were among the top reasons for the negativity, the organisers of the annual China-Japan Joint Opinion Survey reported on Wednesday.

The Japanese think tank The Genron NPO worked with the China International Publishing Group (CIPG) in China to survey 1,000 Japanese and 1,547 Chinese interviewees between August and September.

In all, 90.9 per cent of those in Japan said their impression of China was “not good”, a slight rise from last year’s 89.7 per cent and the fourth-worst level since the poll was launched in 2005.

Meanwhile in China, about two-thirds of respondents said they had a negative perception of Japan, up from 52.9 per cent last year. Those with a “good” impression of Japan fell sharply to 32 per cent from last year’s 45.2 per cent.

It was the first time negative sentiment in China had risen since 2013, when ties between the two countries suffered in the aftermath of the Japanese government decision to nationalise the disputed Senkaku Islands, known in China as the Diaoyus.

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