soccer

Fewer Japanese view China positively: poll

35 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© 2012 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

35 Comments
Login to comment

Message to the next government: save some money by closing the departments who carry out these pointless and potentially inflammatory surveys. Then the media would not waste paper and screenspace printing the stuff.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Pointless surveying!

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Message to the next government: save some money by closing the departments who carry out these pointless and potentially inflammatory surveys. Then the media would not waste paper and screenspace printing the stuff.

Well said! Hard to believe that these polls have been going on since 1978, only folks with low self-esteem could have thought something like this up. Try and find someone somewhere that they think are less then they are.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Statistics are one of the "Three types of lies" espoused by Mark Twain in one of his popular sayings. He was a man born before his time.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

jeff198527,

Statistics are one of the "Three types of lies" espoused by Mark Twain in one of his popular sayings. He was a man born before his time.

He certainly was a great man and a wonderful humorist, but I think what he wrote applies to people anywhere, any time, past, present and future.

What strikes me as odd is that Chinese "media" has been trying to stir up anti-Japanese feelings at the same time as Japanese media has been trying to stir up anti-Chinese feelings.

Coincidence?

I wonder.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

When I see the 100 yen shops in Japan closing down from lack of business I'll know what the Japanese are thinking of China.....

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The Asian survey finds that eight out of ten hates China!!! After ASIAN meeting, China declared all South China sea is part of China and they will take it by force. The feelings going more strong against China. google it please for.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

From the folks I have been speaking to those numbers are wildly skewed in favor of the PRC.

The folks I have spoken to 1 in 10 is more like it.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Nothing new here. When economies start to crumble, and politicians are at the end of their rope, they start to blame other countries. Everybody needs a scapegoat. Just look at the rise of anti-immigration groups in Greece,and the growing anti-Muslim sentiment in France.

Nobody cares about this stuff when everybody's making money. But when times get tough? Everybody starts pointing fingers. Individually and collectively.

When two countries are pointing fingers at each other? War.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

I hope you all realize that this survey's data is completely invalid. Quote : "61.3% gave valid answers". Define "valid" for us, Japan today. I believe you're trying to sentationalize the data by removing 40 percent of the results that probably offered a more lukewarm response. You can't just take away 40% of the populace to make your own extreme sensationalized data. Clearly the fact is only SOME people out there are bothered by this asinine turf war with china. Perhaps 1/2, not 4/5.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

After watching Chinese violent antics for the last year, this poll is the non-surprise of the day.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

This just shows that people read the front page or watch TV and are influenced by the sensationalized media stories. On the back pages, we read that the negotiations over the free-trade agreement between Japan, China and Korea are proceeding, as if nothing is wrong. All this noise is a just a diversion by right-wing politicians to provoke nationalist sentiment and keep people's minds of all the internal issue and failure of governance. People should be more concerned with the free-trade agreements and how these will more greatly threaten their sovereignty, health and working lives.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Warispeace - so you are saying that the months of anti-Japanese pogroms and riots in China on the news is Japanese Right Wing mind control and propaganda?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Hikozaemon

Warispeace - so you are saying that the months of anti-Japanese pogroms and riots in China on the news is Japanese Right Wing mind control and propaganda?

I'm saying on the Japanese side it is right-wing propaganda. On the Chinese side, it is their nationalist propaganda. The point is it's diversion tactics on all sides to get people to shift from their internal dissatisfactions with government and socioeconomic processes. Wasn't there just a political change in China, even if it wasn't an election? Then there is an election called in Japan. Just coincidence?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Give the islands and all mineral and oil rights to the UN.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

This is news? Having watched all of those demonstrators yelling death to Japanese has given me a negative view of them.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Wow! This poll is surprising. I'm so shocked that I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight or ever.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Those rocket scientist sure know their stuff, bar 38.3%

1 ( +1 / -0 )

warispeace, in the US we had appeals to the conservative base during the presidential election, too, regarding China. I think the overall trend is towards a more conservative approach though at the present, it's business as usual. The nominees had to try to get every vote they could, and for the average voter, they don't care enough about China for it to be a deal-breaker, but for conservatives, if the president seems soft, then that's a no-vote for them, which results in a nothing-to-lose situation when sharpening anti-China rhetoric.

What is harmful about this rhetoric is as you pointed out, it diverts attention away from domestic issues that immediately affect the average citizen. But in Japan's case, rhetoric did lead to action which resulted in huge economic losses, which will lead to harder anti-China rhetoric and the downward spiral continues. So politically it makes sense, but it's a double-edged sword. Rhetoric on both sides leads to distrust, calls by the citizenry for tougher, inflexible positions, and if nothing changes, two countries at economic and physical war, where no one wins.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@AlexNoaburg

So politically it makes sense, but it's a double-edged sword. Rhetoric on both sides leads to distrust, calls by the citizenry for tougher, inflexible positions, and if nothing changes, two countries at economic and physical war, where no one wins.

I don't think physical war is at all likely. What two major countries have clashed since the end of WW2. The costs would be just too great since their economies are so integrated and Japan knows it would lose and China would gain nothing as Japan is not a resource rich country. As well, there are all those US bases, so it would draw the US into the conflict.

Rather, the fear and warmongering, in addition to the points I made earlier, is also about weapon sales and pulling Japanese sentiment back towards the US.

On the Japanese side, what I never understand is why Japanese people fear China more than the US. Japan was an aggressor towards China in recent history; on the other hand, the US dropped atom bombs and other bombs on Japan and continues to occupy this country, inflicting many hardships on the Okinawan people.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I think there are other polls like this internationally and China and Israel regularly come out not respected/liked on a year on year basis.

Basically Japanese don't trust respect Chinese (business, behaviour, ethics, politics) for a long time. Their feelings maybe more extreme than other countries as they know more about Chinese compared to others, but still the world view isn't great of China and certainly not a country considered trustworthy

....and certainly polls like this and others are written about by major news players elsewhere such as the bbc.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"Is the point of the survey to show how easily people are swayed by world events."

what 8% change from not much respect in the first place at all, which low rating isn't based on world events in the first place.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Do you believes the chinese government 'cares'? Or they cares about how their stealth fighters were test flying?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Surprise, surprise.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japanese people has very few things to be proud of in post war Japan especially their dignity has been lost under US military occupations known as 'protection'! the only thing they feel proud was their economic miracle which brough them being the world No.2 economy since 1969, rank 2 after U.S.! That status has kept 40 years and they lost to China in 2010! A country(China) who has receieved Japan's ODA for 27 years has now override Japan's supremacy is how frustation caused! But Japanese news media has been over blowing that lead to the public panic!

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Need you survey??!!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japanese people has very few things to be proud of in post war Japan especially their dignity has been lost under US military occupations known as 'protection'!

Well, reconstructing a country from the ashes of a devastating war and becoming one of the leading economies globally in less than 20 years is something very impressive though, isn't it?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

warispeace-san,

I don't think physical war is at all likely. What two major countries have clashed since the end of WW2. The costs would be just too great since their economies are so integrated and Japan knows it would lose and China would gain nothing as Japan is not a resource rich country. As well, there are all those US bases, so it would draw the US into the conflict.

I entirely agree. Neither China nor Japan are that stupid.

But this starts me wondering who is pushing this China/Japan war stuff?

What about all the "anti-Japan" demonstrations in China?

These were, for the most part very suspect.

The news media was so eager to report on these "demonstrations," yet, with a population as huge as China's, the number of people "demonstrating" was tiny. One, as I remember consisted of 30 people, another, nearly 100. There was a photo (very staged) in JT of ONE Chinese guy attempting to set fire to a Japanese flag and a policeman grabbing him from behind.

Add to this the fact that China is not the kind of country to allow demonstrations and the whole thing begins to look rather suspicious.

So, where does the FUD about the "Yellow Peril" come from?

On JT, it seems to be those connected with the US military, leading me to wonder if this is the line they are being fed.

Someone is trying to make it look like China is the enemy.

But, whereas there are many negative things to say about China, lack of free speech, Tibet, and so on, as you point out, the economies of Japan and China, and the U.S.A., come to that, are so intimately linked that war seems extremely unlikely.

Well, the survey, if it shows anything, indicates that those who wish to make it appear that China is a threat to Japan have had some slight success.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

People in Japan like anywhere else in the world are influenced to a high degree by the media. Those in the media, pls try reporting the truth for once.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

The survey found the number of people who feel friendly towards South Korea dived 23 points to 39.2%, the reports said.

Do South Koreans have to beg for for getting more friendly points?

A Japanese government survey has found less than one in five people feel positively towards China, a record low ---

Japan population 127,960,000. China population 1,316,562,729. PRC residents 1.3 billion will lose sleep at nights for that sad news.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Tiger_in_the_Hermitage-san,

Those in the media, pls try reporting the truth for once.

Every reporter, every editor in Japan has someone breathing down his or her neck.

They cannot report the truth, or they will lose their jobs.

I guess it's a similar situation all over the world.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

please add my 1% to the poll, mr. surveyor!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Is Japan starting to think less of the Chinese as a mindset leading to a Sino-Japanese war? Why not? At most, it's going to be a naval war. No nuclear strikes. Just ships battling each other, which will allow the US to stay out of it since Japan, the islands of Japan, will not be under attack. The land areas will be left alone, as long as on-shore batteries do not join in the fray. This way, both countries let off some steam in the same way that ancient Roman gladiators fought it out. Now, it's your turn in the Colosseum of the East China Sea.

Japan is suffering a malaise right now. You can see it in your young men. They've lost the will to live as men, becoming content simply to exist (without living) for a third decade in the doldrums of recession. A naval war will inspire these boys to join the military and act like men for a change, maybe even get live girls for their prurient interests instead of virtual girlfriends. You have an excess of young men in low-wage jobs, which you must put into uniforms, if just to improve their self-perception so that they can start living real lives. In short, you need a limited war to revitalize your society.

A naval war against China is the answer for 2013. Their navy is hardly the equal of Japan's naval forces, not for another 10 years at least. If war is restricted to the East China Sea, Japan will probably win...and do it on its own, without US help. This will raise the prestige of Japan across the world. Your young men will be heroes, and your young women will swoon over their medals as they march in victorious parades throughout your cities. These same young men, under the high-octane influence of fresh testosterone, will then drive the Japanese economy to new heights.

More to tell you, but are you willing to listen?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites